School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies

ELAS

A3
LITERACY STUDENT BOOKLET

Spring 2011

SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies Aims: The specific aims of this A3 literacy course are to develop your academic reading and writing skills by: introducing new students to the conventions of academic writing and giving further practice in this area to continuing students. sharpening your critical thinking skills when reading and writing arguments developing the skills you need to consider an issue from many perspectives extending your skills in using an academic style of writing and increasing your range of academic vocabulary extending your independent study skills building your academic reading skills

What you can expect to achieve By the end of the course, you will be able to: write an extended piece of writing, which is in an appropriate academic style with clear arguments and counter arguments and supported by correctly cited evidence show some originality of thought when preparing their arguments have a greater understanding of English grammar feel confident that you have extended your range of academic vocabulary use texts efficiently to support your research for your writing

Course content Key areas taught: 1. The structure and style of an academic essay 2. Presenting arguments and counter arguments with sound evidence 3. Evaluation of evidence in texts 4. Paraphrasing, summarising and synthesis 5. Conventions of citation 6. Academic vocabulary extension 7. Critical analysis of reading texts 8. Vocabulary inference 9. Proofreading and editing skills

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A3 Scheme of Work
Lesson 1 Week 1 Analysing an essay Vocabulary: guessing the meaning of new words Language: conjunctions Week 2 Essay structure analysis Considering introductions Vocabulary: collocations Linking words practice Week 3 Referencing and using Sources Reading skills understanding implied meaning Essay question analysis Identifying arguments and counter arguments Prepare the reading pack for the timed writing Write a paragraph with an argument and counter argument Re write timed writing 1 Lesson 2 Reading skills: critically considering arguments Lesson 3 Considering thesis statements Homework A 500 word essay

Further work on dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary in texts

Writing a conclusion Linking an introduction to a conclusion

Write an introduction Write a conclusion

Week 4 Timed Writing 1

Complex sentences Noun clauses

One to one tutorials Self evaluation of timed writing

Week 5 Academic style Paraphrasing

Language review: Countable & Uncountable nouns Tenses

Two paragraphs on your academic assignment topic, presenting two arguments and written in an academic style
Prepare the reading pack for the timed writing Summary Task

Week 6 Timed writing 2

Further work on using and citing sources correctly

Using sources well Avoiding plagiarism

Writing a correct bibliography Write up the draft of your academic essay to hand in for lesson 1 week 7 No English homework because you will be writing up your subject assignment

Week 7

One to one tutorials on your academic essay

Hand in your draft of your academic essay Essay writing evaluation Week 8

Reading skills practice

One to one tutorials

Further work on essay writing evaluation

Week 9 Critical analysis of a reading text Week 10 Exams

Proofreading practice Academic vocabulary extension Review of the writing process

Work on synthesis Academic vocabulary extension One to one tutorials on your progress over the course

none

none Prepare your reading texts for the essay exam in week 10

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies

A3 Academic English Folders

The deadline for handing in your folders to your Academic English teacher is Friday of WEEK 9. You should have the following pieces of work in your folder AND ONLY THESE PIECES. Please remove any other work, handouts, course materials, photocopies etc from your folder before you hand it in. Your folder should include: This folder checklist Where relevant, the second drafts of your homework The comments sheet for each piece of homework WEEK HOMEWORK WHEN TO HAND IN A 500 word essay with argument and counter argument Writing an introduction Writing a conclusion Writing an argument paragraph Timed writing I re-write Two paragraphs on your academic assignment topic, presenting two arguments and written in an academic style Timed writing II (the one done in class) A bibliography Summary Task Academic unit essay draft

DONE ()

1 2 3 4 5

7 8 9 Total

None Hand in folder

Your Academic English teacher will mark your folder for the completeness of the folder and the organisation/presentation of it. You should keep your own copies of the pieces of writing for your reference. The folders may be passed on to the External Examiner.

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Literacy information

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IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE ON THE LITERACY COMPONENT THE WEEKLY LESSON CYCLE You will have 5 hours a week of classes with 1 hour self-study. The work you need to do in self study is on page 9. You will submit homework every week. Some of the homework will need to be re-written . Your teacher will complete a feedback form with written comments and hand back your homework every week. In weeks 4, 7 and 9, your teachers will organise a one-to-one tutorial with you to give you feedback on work you have done so far. This also allows you to ask any specific questions you have about your writing.

Week 5 there will be a summary text posted on Moodle under your Academic subject. You will write this over Reading Week and hand it in Week 6 to your Literacy Teacher. Please note that all homework relating to the checklist (see page 3) should be kept as they will need to be presented in a folder at the end of term for assessment.

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Differences between homework and self-study The most successful students are those who do more than just the homework outside class. To encourage you to develop independent learning skills, we have built self-study sessions into your literacy timetable. During this time you are advised to find a place to study (e.g. the library) either by yourself or with friends. You will be expected to use your time wisely. You will discuss with your teachers and fellow students what you have been doing in a follow up class. Your efforts will be noted and contribute towards your overall continuous assessment score. Homework and self-study are not the same thing. Below are the main differences between homework and self-study. Homework - part of the course - goes towards portfolio of work and continuous assessment - directly related to work done in class - gives specific practice - guided / teacher-led - usually done by yourself Self-study - builds independent learning skills - can be done alone or in study groups - bigger picture focused general skills to build language and study skills - not necessarily directly related to the work done on the course In order to improve your English, you need to do both types of study. Recommended activities outside class Films - Watch a film (at first with English subtitles, then without). Try watching a film you have seen already (or a film based on a book you have read) so that you will be able to easily follow the story line - Good films to watch are ones aimed at families or children at first because the story line is less likely to be complicated - As a student you should get a discount at the cinema. Weekdays are sometimes cheaper than weekends. You can also get DVD rentals online at a good monthly price (see www.lovefilm.com). - You can also use the bbc iplayer. This allows you to watch any BBC channel programme after it has been on TV live. You can stop, rewind and fast forward so it is good for listening practice for news programmes, for example (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/). Clubs / societies - Join a SOAS club which offers an activity you are interested in (eg sport) and meet other students (go to the student union homepage for more details: http://soasunion.org/ ). - Sign up for a language exchange with a SOAS student who may be studying your language and meet to speak in English and your language (see http://www.lww-cetl.ac.uk/ for more details).

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Reading One of the best ways to build your vocabulary and improve your sentence structure as well as improve your general reading skills is to read as widely and as often as possible. Magazines choose an area that interests you. Reading interviews is a good way to see the differences between the written and spoken word. Newspapers start with a newspaper such as the Metro, which is found free at all stations. Choose one or two articles to start rather than the whole newspaper. Try not to use your dictionary too much. Instead try to get a sense of the general meaning. Give yourself a purpose for reading. Look at the title / subheadings and try to imagine what the text will be about. Write down some questions you would like to know the answer to. Read quickly once and underline key words / ideas. Then go back and read more carefully. Novels start with readers (shorter simplified novels of well-known books for international students) if you are not used to reading. Also try reading a story you have already read in your own language (or film versions you have already seen) so that it is easy to follow the story. Academic texts journals / articles related to your Academic Subject Unit to broaden your knowledge in the area and build your vocabulary and reading skills

Vocabulary - keep a vocabulary notebook try to group according to topic rather than random words. Write down the meaning of the word (in English) and original sentence you saw the word used. Try to write another sentence using the word. - Keep reading as the more often you see words, the more likely you are to remember and use the word! - Listen to fluent speakers and write down any useful phrases they use to express themselves naturally. Try to use these yourself.

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A3 Self study scheme of work

Week 1 Critical thinking Self-study skills building Complete the work on pages 105 and 106 of your booklet to evaluate your ability to think critically Identify the study skills you need to develop. Complete the online exercise: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap_index.htm Go to Identifying the study skills you need. What do you need to improve? Be ready to discuss this in your next class with other students. Week 2 Reading Formal and informal vocabulary Work alone or in pairs. Read a news story on the internet (eg BBC news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/). Then read a broadsheet (ask your teacher for examples if you are not sure) newspaper article on the same topic. Is the information different? Write down 5 formal words used in the broadsheet and 5 informal words used in the internet news story. Check with your teacher in your next lesson if you are not sure. Bring in both news stories and discuss the differences with another classmate. Week 3 Reading and Vocabulary In small groups (3 or 4), go to the following website: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ Choose a story and complete as many of the exercises as possible. Check your answers and bring the story with you to your next class. Be ready to report to the class what you studied. Week 4 Listening / reading

Go to the BBC world service: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ On the bottom right of the homepage, click on downloads The last seven days. Choose a news story. Listen first, note down the information then read the text. Make a note of new words and the sentences you found them in. Try writing your own sentences. Try using the British national corpus online for more example sentences of the new word (http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/).

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Key in the word in the blank next to Look up and press go to reveal some example sentences. The numbers on the left tell you where the sentences come from. Be prepared to explain the meaning of the new words in your next class. Week 5 Reading, to study functional language

Read an interview in a magazine or newspaper. Underline the words / phrases the speakers use to: show their opinion show disagreement show agreement How could you make these more formal? Go to http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm and then go to functions and arguing and discussing for some ideas. Bring this to your next class to compare with other students.

Week 6 Avoiding plagiarism in writing

Practise avoiding plagiarism. Go to the following website: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm Then go to Exercises and plagiarism. Try exercises 2 and 3. Check your answers. Practise with a text related to your academic subject unit

Week 7 Academic reading Week 8

Do the rest of your academic reading for your assignment

Grammar worksheets 8and 9 from the back of your book Grammar worksheets Week 9 Vocabulary review Review your vocabulary lists you have made over the term

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University of London-SOAS International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Study A3

Week 1 Lesson 1 Essay Writing

Task 1 To get to know each other, working with a group of 3 or 4 students discuss the following questions: a) b) c) d) What are your future academic plans? What have you studied so far? Are you going on to further study in the UK or abroad? Which aspects of Academic English do you think you need most help with (speaking, listening, reading, writing, research skills.)? e) Do you have any personal career ambitions?

Task 2 The argument type essay In pairs, a) Which of the following best explains the overall purpose of an argument type essay ?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. To report on problems related to the issue. To explain in as much detail as possible about the topic in question. To describe different points of view. To persuade your reader to agree with your views on an issue. To discuss the pros and cons of the issue. To examine causes and effects in relation to a particular issue.

b) What makes a good academic essay? What will you be marked on? Put some suggestions in the box below:

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Task 3 Today you are going to be working on a short academic essay entitled: Are medicines the best way to treat disease? The writer argues that modern medicine is not the best way to treat disease. Before reading it, discuss with your partner what the THREE main arguments of this essay will be. What do you think the writer will argue is a better way to treat disease? Write some notes here, then compare in a group.

Task 4: Reading a) Now read the essay quickly to see if your predictions were correct. Just concentrate on highlighting the main arguments, not understanding every word. b) What is the writers main argument about modern medicine? c) Share your ideas with the group

Are medicines the best way to treat disease?1

The discovery of antibiotics meant for the first time doctors could prescribe effective cures for infectious diseases. The control of these diseases also made possible surgery such as open-heart operations and kidney transplants. In the same period other medical successes included a vaccination programme to eliminate smallpox and the use of insulin to treat diabetes. This resulted in a growth of confidence in science-based medicine. However, over the past few decades there has been a growth in dissatisfaction with commercially produced medicines as the number of problems with standard medical care have increased. These problems include addiction of patients to various anti-depressant drugs and the increased ineffectiveness of antibiotics, flu- vaccines and anti malarial treatments due to the development of drug resistance in the causative agents. Although many would argue that medicines are generally the best way to tackle disease, this essay will argue that other methods such as complementary medicine, public health measures and education are more effective and represent a sustainable alternative to commercially produced medicines.
1

Taken from www.englishclub.com

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Innovations based on science (such as new drugs) can help to improve the quality of life of many people, the smallpox and polio vaccines have for example helped to eradicate these diseases completely (WHO Special vaccination report 2002). However, cures for other ailments such as depression, rheumatism and allergy are much more difficult to treat and cannot always be treated with conventional medicine (The Lancet 2001). In these cases complementary medicine such as acupuncture, mind and body therapies and herbalism have proved to be much more effective. The Herbal report (1999 p21) gives the example of 28% of Asthma sufferers whose condition improved after taking a course of Chinese herbal medicine. Although standard asthma therapy using Ventolin inhalers can be effective, it has been shown to make the situation of asthmatic patients worse in the long run and has been implicated as a cause of the growing asthma epidemic (New Scientist 1992 p34). Pharmaceutical companies have relentlessly promoted the use of anti-malarial drugs for use in combating this disease in Africa. These drugs have proved successful in some circumstances, especially when given to western travellers in malarial areas of central Africa (The Guardian malaria report 1995). Mike Thompson an Australian researcher in Ghana stated without these drugs it just wouldnt be safe to travel to Equatorial Africa (New Scientist vol24 2001p45). However for most local people this is not the reality. Antimalarial drugs are seen as an expensive luxury out of the reach of most Africans. One bottle of chloroquine costs the equivalent of a months salary (complementary medicine news 2001 p45) and drug companies in the search for profits refuse to lower the price. A more effective way to tackle Malaria is by putting in place simple public health measures such as draining stagnant swamps and providing fresh drinking water which eliminate the breeding grounds for the mosquito which causes malaria. As Dr Holdstein (The Lancet 1987 p89) states, Malaria used to be endemic in Roman times in Europe and it wasnt chloroquine which eliminated it- public sanitation did the trick. AIDS is one further disease in which vast sums of money have been pumped into attempts to find a vaccine and develop anti HIV drugs. In developed countries these drugs have had some success in combating the disease. However, the costs have also been massive $25million is spent every year on research into these drugs in the US alone (US Health report 2001). It is claimed that this represents a worthwhile use of funds and that these drugs can save millions of lives (The Economist AIDS report, March 2002). However, a far more effective way to combat this disease is through public education programmes; it does not make sense to try to combat the disease with expensive medical treatments when simple preventative measures would stop the disease spreading in the first place. Sexual health projects in South Africa have already cut AIDS deaths by 75% in one trial area of Zimbabwe (UN Health report 2002). The development of new medical treatments for AIDS largely benefit drug companies who are able to patent these drugs and make vast profits rather than the 50 million HIV infected people of southern and central Africa who are unable to even afford these medicines. In conclusion, although medicine has some limited use in the treatment of disease other measures outlined above: complementary medicine, public health measures and education have a much more important role to play. At present governments are too heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry lobby which tends to divert funds into medical research rather than non-profit areas such as public education. A disease free world will not be brought about by a scientific revolution of new improved drugs, but rather a revolution in the way society is organised with public health and education provided for not only a rich elite in the developed world but for the population of the whole planet.

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Task 5 Analysing the essay Using a highlighter; identify the following parts of the above essay: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) One argument the writer puts forward. One counter-argument. A refutation. A source supporting one of the writers arguments. The thesis statement. Some statistics supporting an argument. A topic sentence.

Task 6

Guessing the meaning of vocabulary

Now read the essay more carefully and highlight any unfamiliar words. Can you guess their meaning? Share with your partner how you did this. For example, if you take the word sustainable in the last line of paragraph one, you can say that if it is an effective alternative too, then it must be a good thing. Sometimes that is all you can guess about an unfamiliar word. Perhaps though you also know the word sustain, which it comes from, which means to keep on going so you know from this that the effects will not be temporary. Take the words antibiotic and anti depressant. Do you know that anti means against, so this medicine works against something what? Look at the word transplant. Do you know that trans means across, so this is planting something from one thing across to another what kind of thing would this be? anti and trans are examples of prefixes. There are lots of these you can add to your vocabulary bank here at this link: www.englishclub.com/prefixes.htm Make sure at this level that you try and explore new vocabulary like this so you can learn how to use it in your own writing and recognise it in reading.

Task 7

Discussion

Working as a group, discuss the following questions. a) Do you agree with the writers arguments about medicine? b) Do you prefer to use modern medicines when you are sick or have you ever tried any alternatives? c) What do you think is the best way to eliminate diseases like malaria, HIV and cholera from developing countries?

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Homework Write a similar argument 500 word essay on the topic: Are prison sentences the best way to deal with criminals? Try and be original in your thinking. Include at least two referenced sources for your argument

Language Practice It is important to be able to make your writing flow so that it is easy for the reader to identify your main arguments and ideas. This is why the effective use of linking words and conjunctions is extremely important in academic writing. Go back to the essay and highlight any examples of these you can find and then work through the following exercises on conjunctions.2

(taken from: Bailey Academic Writing- A practical guide for students)

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4. Insert a suitable conjunction in each gap. a) the course was voluntary only seven students attended. b) The longest say of the year, . June 21st, was a time of festivity. c) . the equipment was checked, the experiment was repeated. d) .. most people use the train, a minority walk or cycle. e) Brick is a thermally efficient building material. It is, .., cheap. f) Demand has increased for the summer courses, .extra ones will be offered this year.

5. Complete the following article by inserting a suitable conjunction in the spaces. Adapted from: BBC News 1 January 2013 Last updated at 16:14

UK snow disruption
Travel has also been affected, with disruption to road and rail journeys _____________ snow and icy conditions which took hold for a fourth day. There is a lot of snow and ice on the ground _______ flights are currently suspended at Leeds Bradford Airport. _________, one in 10 flights is cancelled because of poor visibility at Heathrow. _________ Education Secretary Michael Gove said "everything can and should be done" to keep schools open where possible, he _______ told MPs the government had made changes so no school which stayed open would be penalised if individual students could not make it to school on that day. "And I hope ___________ that more and more schools will recognise that, _______the decision to remain open or closed is a matter for the head teacher, everything can and should be done in order to ensure that all children get access to a good education." _________ 10-20cm of snow expected to fall during Monday in the "amber" areas, even more could fall on higher ground, with blizzard conditions in some areas. They are ______warning of ice affecting East Anglia, southern England and south Wales. Heathrow Airport had cancelled 175 flights by midday ___________ low visibility. A spokesman said adverse weather conditions at other European airports meant that "further cancellations are inevitable" _________cancelled flights there. There have been several accidents caused by the snow. ___________, a school bus with 20 children on board skidded off a steep road covered in slush and snow in Caerphilly ______ a 16-year-old boy is critically ill in hospital after he hit a tree while sledging on Teesside on Sunday. _______________ councils gritting the roads, the Army was called in to help when two buses got stuck in snow in Northumberland, leaving passengers stranded for hours. __________ the local councils in Scotland are advising people to stay at home ____________ heavy drifting snow forecast for higher ground.

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6. Conjunctions of opposition Note the position of the conjunctions in the following examples: The economy is not strong, but/yet there are not many strikes. Although there are few strikes, the economy is weak. In spite of/Despite the infrequent strikes, the economy is weak. There are not many strikes. However/Nevertheless, the economy is weak. Write two sentence in each case. Example: The data was complete/unreliable The data was complete but unreliable. Although the data was complete, it was unreliable. a) The government claimed that inflation was falling. The opposition said it was rising. i) ii)

b) This department must reduce expenditure. It needs to install new computers. i) ii)

7. Finish the sentences in a suitable way. a) In contrast to US where gun ownership is common . b) Despite going to university for four years, . c) The majority displayed a positive attitude to the proposal, but . d) The review has examined six studies of medical policy; however .. .. 18

e) Although his research was good, .

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 1 Lesson 2
Reading skills - Critically considering arguments To write well, you need to read well This lesson looks at texts and considers how arguments are used and whether the reasoning behind them is sound. By sound reasoning, we mean that it is as if it is a solid object through which nothing can pass. If an argument is not logical or supported by sufficient evidence or is clearly based on bias or subjective hypotheses, we say we can pick holes in the argument. We also say it is not watertight. Similarly, in law, we speak of loopholes where there are weaknesses in the application of the law so that people can find a legal way of avoiding it. With the texts today, you are going to consider their arguments and analyse them. If you can read a text critically and learn how others present their arguments and whether you are convinced or not by them, you will be learning at the same time what to do with your own academic writing where you will be required to: construct arguments defend a position with evidence support a hypothesis develop a thesis over several thousand words.

Before you start reading anything, remember this: When reading anything, whether it is what may seem a casual piece of writing or a complex article in an academic journal, never read or accept anything that is written until you have decided why you want to read the text considered what you want to gain from the text understood the purpose of the writer studied the arguments and evidence presented satisfied yourself that it is based on sound reasoning and solid evidence.

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Task 1 The following are two sample student essays3. Read them and decide which one you think gives the most convincing argument. Student A When Newton Minow ended his speech in May, 1961, he warned that, "The power of instantaneous sight and sound is without precedent and it has limitless capabilities for good and evil." I wholeheartedly agree with both Minow's position about modern technology, especially about how it relates to the Internet today and the responsibility facing its users. Scene OnePre-1980's. Big project. Long haul to the library, gazing despondently until your eyes resemble those of a zombie. Too many books, too little time, in short, just TOO much. Scene Twomid-1990's. A two-foot walk to the computer, and Voila! All the information you'd ever need is at your fingertips. The Internet has truly revolutionized how people can obtain their information. Now, more than ever, it is easier and quicker to access all types of information from "Exactly what IS that fungus growing on my toe?" to "What are the names of every major river system in the continental United States?" The plethora of information enables people to almost cease the burdensome trip to the library and halt the overwhelming feelings of dread they find as they stare blankly at a stack of books. With the schedule of the typical American today, there's hardly enough time to breathe, nevermind attempting to fit that hour-long trip to the library in the time frame. With the birth of the Internet, people with access to a computer can locate information faster than ever. But, how are we to judge the acceptability of that information? The awesome power of these new technological inventions, such as computers and the Internet, do not always produce, however, grade-A products. People have begun to utilize the Internet to recruit new cult members, to teach people how to build bombs, to teach hate. Basically, anything and everything evil can be posted on the "Net." Scene Three. Mr. Parker, a 75-year-old man from rural Indiana is in severe pain with abdominal cramps. Instead of attempting a two-hour drive to the nearest hospital, he makes it to his computer, logs on to the Internet in hopes of finding out what is wrong with him and in hopes of finding a quick remedy. Following the www's advice, he treats himself for stomach pain. Scene Four. Poor Mr. Parker dies hours later of acute appendicitis. The Internet has the power to give birth to both good and evil. Today, as our society becomes more and more advanced, we rely more and more on anything that promises to make our busy lives less hectic. The easy way out, it seems, is always the right way in. Call it our American laziness, or call it our penchant to make learning easier, either way you slice it, the Internet has the potential for both positive and negative effects on society. Our responsibility is to find ways to exhibit our ability to distinguish between that which is beneficial and that which is destructive.

http://www.education.com/study-help/article/sample-student-essays4/?page=2

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Student B In his now famous address to the National Association of Broadcasters in May, 1961, FCC chairman Newton Minow spoke of the unprecedented power that those who control television's programming have over the American public, and how the mass media should be controlled and censored by the government, for it could wield awesome amounts of either good or evil. This assertion, that "television is a vast wasteland" rings true throughout the modern history of American society, especially in light of the global Internet. There is no doubt that television has greatly altered the very psyche of Americans countless times since Minow's speech. From patriotic events like Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon and the "miracle on the ice" American victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic hockey semi-finals, to historical events like Tienemmen Square, the assassination of JFK, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Television has provided Americans with triumph the Persian Gulf Warand tragedythe Columbine massacre. Most importantly, however, it is entertainment for the masses, and is affordable to the point that 95% of Americans watch at least once a week, and this is where it goes awry. Americans, due to the overwhelming economic prosperity and technological revolution of the last forty years, have become slovenly. We can get almost anywhere in the world within 24 hours via airplane and expect to be waited on while flying there. We drive to work everyday. We have every type of cuisine imaginable less than twenty minutes away, contrasting with several countries which don't have food, period. We have secure incomes, capital growth, and all of the material comforts of the day. We have the Internet, the new mass media which allows for anyone to learn about anything at anytime, anywhere. We are inactive, obese, materialistic, boring people, and television has adapted itself to fit our collective personas. Or possibly, we changed for television. The nightly news is filled with images of death, suffering, pain, agony, misery, and other horrors that we gobble up because we as middle-class Americans have an infinitesimal chance of ever seeing it. The most popular TV shows are either irreverent comedies like "Seinfeld" and "Friends" with no actual cultural impact, or worse game shows like "Weakest Link" or "Survivor" that reward, in pride and prizes, ruthlessness, emotional warfare, and pointless competition that reinforces those attributes in the 30 million viewers they get every Monday and Wednesday night. The sensationalistic television programming caters to every evil desire we have, so it makes them grow inside us and want more, making us fervent to tune in next week for the next fantastic episode. God forbid they show a rerun. Television has become a wasteland, and it's turning Western culture into one, too. One has to believe Newton Minow knew what he was talking about. In a classic quote from Catch22, Joseph Heller writes that "There was a general consensus that the platitudes of Americanism were horsesh-t." I wholeheartedly agree.

Task 2 22

Now look at the ratings below and see where you would put the above 2 essays. Rating the Essays
High-Range Essays Correctly identifies

Minow's position regarding the power of television and other forms of mass communication Effectively presents a position about Minow's own ideas Clear writer's voice Successfully defends his or her position Presents carefully reasoned arguments making appropriate reference to specific examples from personal experience Clear and effective organization Effectively manipulates language Few, if any, syntactical errors Minow's position and attitude about television and mass communications Understands the demands of the prompt Clearly states a position with regard to that of Minow Presents a generally adequate argument that makes use of appropriate examples Ideas clearly stated Less well-developed than the high-range essays A few lapses in diction and/or syntax

Mid-Range Essays Correctly identifies

Low-Range Essays Inadequate response to the prompt Misunderstands, oversimplifies, or misrepresents Minow's position Insufficient or inappropriate examples used to develop the writer's position Lack of mature control of the elements of essay writing

Now see if you were right. Student A This is a high-range essay for the following reasons: a strong, mature voice willing to be creative as well as analytical; clear statement about the writer's position on Minow's assertion; overall structure clearly defined through "scenes"; original illustrations and details to support writer's position; tight focus; mature vocabulary and sentence structure; and brief response to Minow's challenge about responsibility regarding the media. This high-range essay, although brief, does the work of a mature, clear, and responsive writer. The assertion and support for it are well organized and developed in a very clear writer's voice.

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Student B This is a mid-range essay for the following reasons: evidence that the writer understood the question and prompt; indication of a writer's voice; does not connect all parts of the essay, especially in paragraph 3, with the topic; includes interesting and varied details and examples to support the thesis; some obviously incorrect assumptions [paragraph 4, sentence 2]; a few problems with diction and syntax [fragment in paragraph 4, sentence 2]; ["slovenly" in paragraph 3, sentence 1], ["fervent" in paragraph 4, next to last sentence]; an interesting style and content; and does not really address the responsibility issue. This mid-range essay indicates a writer who is a risk taker and intellectually curious. At times, the writer's enthusiasm seems to get in the way of a clear focus.

Task 3 Providing evidence Having appropriate evidence to support arguments is important. Which of the following statements might be most convincing and why?
1. There is life on other planets in the universe. 2. There is life on other planets in the universe because Mike Edwards says so. 3. There is life on other planets in the universe because an eminent Cambridge Professor of Astronomy says so. 4. There is a high probability of life on other planets in the universe because we know from studies by experts that there are in the order of 100 billion stars in our galaxy and there are 100 billion galaxies. This gives 10 22 stars. Some of these stars are likely to have planets associated with them. While the conditions conducive to life are rare, such a large number of planets gives a high probability that life will exist on a planet somewhere in the universe. 5. Samples of surface material from other planets in the universe have been taken by space missions and found to contain life forms.

Having discussed this, perhaps you can see that this example illustrates the importance of using appropriate evidence or reasoning to support an argument. It is also important to be cautious in what you use and accept as evidence. Try and avoid unsupported assertions in academic work and strive to provide the most appropriate and convincing evidence you can.

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Task 4 You have looked at an example of an everyday argument from two student essays, now look at a short example of another academic argument. Consider the style of arguing. Decide whether or not more than one point of view is presented. Critically assess the evidence which is provided to support the points made. Can primates acquire language?
Communication is an important part of animal behaviour. For example, primates use a variety of sounds and gestures in social interaction to portray threat, intention, alarm, and so on - and highly sophisticated forms of communication are found in other species as well (whales and dolphins provide a fascinating example). But, for many researchers this is not the same as human language which is essentially infinite in its meaning (largely due to its grammar), and which is able to associate specific (and abstract) meanings with arbitrary sound and symbols. Indeed, language is the thing that makes us uniquely human (or so the argument goes), and no other species comes close to emulating our ability to comprehend, use, and produce language. But is language really unique to human beings? One problem with this theory is that other animals (including primates) cannot make our sounds. For example, they do not have the same fine control over their tongues, lips, and vocal chords, and are therefore unable to talk. Thus, if animals were to learn or understand language they would not be able to tell us. With this possibility in mind, Beatrice and Roger Gardner during the 1960s set about teaching a female chimpanzee (called Washoe) a version of American sign language used by deaf people. The Gardners began when Washoe was about one year old - and within three years she had developed a vocabulary of over 130 signs (or 'words'). Moreover, she learned to combine the signs to make simple sentences, and to use 'words' in creative and novel ways (e.g. after learning the verb 'to open' she would ask the investigators to 'open' the tap whenever she wanted a drink). Other researchers have confirmed these findings, and similar work has been undertaken with gorillas and orangutans.(Paterson and Linden 1981; Miles 1983) However, the interpretation of these findings remains highly controversial. For example, some researchers have argued that these animals are not learning sign language per se, but rather they are only imitating the gestures made by their trainers. In support of this idea, they point out that primates often combine signs in illogical sequences and only occasionally join signs together in a meaningful way (which the trainer will inevitably then choose to reinforce). Others have argued that although primates might be able to communicate with language, there is little evidence to indicate that they can also use it as a vehicle for thought. But there are those who disagree. For example, some of the most compelling evidence for language in primates has come from Susan Savage-Rumbaugh and her colleagues who worked with a male pigmy chimpanzee called Kanzi. Apparently, this primate can understand about 150 English spoken words and can respond to complex and unfamiliar spoken commands such as 'throw your ball in the river' and 'go to the refrigerator and get out a tomato' (Savage-Rumbaugh 1990). Moreover, Kanzi can even use symbols to communicate past events, e.g. she pressed the symbols on a special keyboard to represent 'Matata bite' (Matata is a fellow monkey) to explain a cut that was on her hand. These findings imply that language may not be unique human ability after all - although to put this work into its correct perspective, it needs to be borne in mind that Kanzi's language skills are only equivalent to that of a two-year-old human (Greenfield and

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Savage-Rumbaugh 1990). Thus, it still remains the case that no other species comes close to matching our ability to use and understand language. In other words, language is our natural medium of communication, although the same can clearly not be said of other animals.

(Wickens, A. (2000) Foundations of Biopsychology. Harlow, Prentice Hall, cited in www.openlearn.ac.uk/mod/resource) Find an example of : 1. independent thinking of the writer 2. where the writer has evaluated the evidence presented Task 5 Discuss as a group how well balanced overall this was as an argument and if it included a number of perspectives. You can refer back to the criteria we used for Task 2. If you can read academic articles like these and critically assess whether they are effective pieces of writing, try and make sure you are equally critical about how you present your own arguments in your academic writing.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 1 Lesson 3
Task 1 Discuss these questions with a partner: A. In academic writing it is not enough to merely summarise the opinions of different people. Why not? B. You must show what you think. Why?

C. What you need to show is which of the arguments you agree with, in other words, what is your position? What process do you have to go through to decide what your position is? Task 2 Thesis statements What is a thesis statement? What is its importance in an essay? Fill in the gaps from the box below to complete this short text titled What is a thesis? Use the reference box at the end of this lesson to help you if necessary. Any academic essay is, above all, an exercise in stating, developing and a).......... an idea. The heart of any academic essay is a b). idea (or perhaps a closely related set of ideas) that you want to c) . or defend. The expression of the idea is often called--in "academia-speak"--the thesis. Often, the thesis of a paper is an d)..you are defending or the answer to a question you are asking. Thinking of your central idea as a e) .. claim or a compelling question will help you avoid mistaking a mere statement of f) .for a good thesis. explore argument single opinion defending reasoned

Task 3 Look at this sample essay title: Should people be free to wear religious symbols in public places? Notice the differences between the following two example thesis statements: Which thesis statement is better?
1.

This essay will look at the arguments for and against the wearing of religious dress in public and will conclude by deciding whether these symbols should be worn in public places such as school and work. 27

2. This essay will argue that although wearing some forms of religious dress in public may offend members of the public, this practice should not be illegal as the right to dress as you please should be protected by law and a ban represents an infringement of civil liberties.

Now imagine that you are going to write an essay from the opposite perspective i.e. in opposition to wearing such dress in public. In the box below write a thesis for this essay, based on your own ideas. The following structure may be helpful: although + counter-argument + writers answer to the question + because + main supporting reasons (Notice how the second example above follows this pattern.)

Task 4 Look at the two thesis statements below and: Consider what their good and bad points are. Change them where you think it necessary.

1) Although it is often argued that the power of the nation state is being reduced by

the effects of globalisation, this essay will argue about the power of the state in western countries and analyse whether it is in fact increasing or decreasing.
2) Although free trade has been promoted as a development strategy, it will be

argued here that free trade is not the best policy for development, in fact, it merely deepens inequalities between rich and poor countries, destroys local industry, culture and development, and often brings social conflict and civil war. Task 5 If you had to write the essay Belief in a God is not compatible with a modern technological society - what would your position be and how would you express this in a thesis statement? 28

Look at the following example In the world today, proof and scientific evidence underlie a large number of peoples beliefs. Many people might therefore consider that believing in a God is not a choice for them as the existence of a supernatural being has no scientific basis. However this essay will argue that as the world becomes more dominated by technology which offers proof and hard scientific data to explain occurrences, and as the once mysterious human body gets decoded into its genetic components thus seeming that everything can be predicted, there would ironically appear to be a need in many peoples lives to turn to a more creative explanation for their existence on this planet, to seek out mystery and a meaningful purpose for life other than the random placement of atoms. Hence, this essay will further suggest there has been, in recent years, a resurgence rather than a downturn in religious belief.

In pairs, discuss and evaluate this thesis statement. Make brief notes on what you think. What did you like about it? Is it what you would have said if you were arguing this position? What did you not like? Did you understand the position the writer is taking?

It is a little too long to be effective; it needs to be more concise so that the reader can understand clearly what the writer will argue. There is too much detail. 1. Try and find what you think is the central point of the writers stance/position and express this very simply in two short sentences. 2. This would be too simple though for an advanced writer. So now try and add in some words and phrases to expand this so that it is offering a well- balanced thesis statement with sufficient detail to make the point but with less words than the original so that the position is clear. NB: Please see the supplementary material at the back of this booklet for more examples of thesis statements to evaluate 29

Task 6 Below is the introduction to an essay entitled: Do the advantages of modern life outweigh the problems it has caused? Put the introduction below in the correct order in the box provided. Pay attention to the thesis statement and the general cohesion of the paragraph (i.e. look at words such as: this, these etc). a) Some people are excited by the challenges that these changes offer; others want to return to the simpler, less automated lifestyle of the past. b) This essay will argue that living in the twenty-first century has certainly given us many advantages such as a higher standard of living. c) A person born in the twentieth century has seen a lot of changes take place in almost all areas of human life. d) However, these are outweighed by disadvantages such as a polluted environment, the depersonalisation of human relationships, and the weakening of spiritual values. Now; (i) Highlight the thesis statement (ii) Suggest what the main ideas will be in each of the main body paragraphs

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Reference Box The THESIS STATEMENT should give the reader a clear indication of how you are going to answer the question. In other words you should tell the reader your opinion. Academic essays are not detective stories, so you shouldnt keep the reader guessing about your opinion until the conclusion. State what you are going to say and then say it. the development of your argument. By outlining the main areas you are going to cover in the body of your essay you will help the reader to follow the argument as it develops. Again, remember that the writer is responsible for guiding the reader through the argument.

Your thesis statement, which may be more than one sentence, considers the counter argument and says: although people think X, this essay will consider Y and argue Z

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 2 Lesson 1
Task 1 Discuss the following essay title in small groups: 1. High levels of crime in the inner city can be blamed on the breakdown of the traditional family. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Analyse the question and discuss any key words Think of some possible arguments for and against the statement Think of your own position/opinion about the question

Task 2 Look at the sample essay below on the title you have just analysed. a) Highlight the thesis statement b) Identify the main arguments c) Discuss the structure of the essay: how the arguments are presented and their order. Decide which of the arguments you think is the most successful and why.
Rising levels of crime, particularly among young people, have been at the centre of the political agenda for many years now, and are an issue of great concern for many. While police and politicians struggle to contain the problem, commentators from all areas of the political spectrum have sought to explain the reasons behind the alarming increase in crime rates. Some argue that much of the rise can be explained by the breakdown of the traditional family unit, arguing that increasing divorce and decreasing marriage rates are setting a bad example to children and leaving them without adequate role models. This essay will examine some of these arguments and will argue that, although at first sight there does appear to be a correlation between marriage/divorce figures and rising crime rates, this correlation is by no means clear. It will further argue that other factors, such as unemployment and poverty are of far greater significance as an underlying cause of crime. Government figures might appear to suggest that there is a link between the breakdown of the family and the rise in crime. Government figures show large increases in crime over a number of years. Despite some falls in recent years, the overall trend is sharply upward, with a huge increase in the crime rate, from 1094 crimes per 100,000 population in 1950 to 9785 per 100,000 in 1997 (Office of National Statistics, 2000 www.statistics.gov.uk). In parallel with this trend, we can also see a big drop in the number of marriages from 339,498 first

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marriages in 1961 to just 181,135 in 1997, along with a large increase in the number of divorces during the same period, up from 27,152 to 161,087 (ibid). However, while the hard data are indisputable, it is more difficult to establish a clear link between these two sets of figures. There is no clear indication that the rising crime rate on the one hand and the breakdown of the family on the other are in any way related, and it is quite possible that any patterns in the trends are purely coincidental. In order to establish a link, it is necessary to look at possible reasons why there might be a cause and effect relationship between crime and family structure.

In The Guardian (19/2/93), journalist Melanie Phillips claims that it is very unusual for children brought up in a stable family environment to turn to crime. Sociologists such as Dennis and Erdos (1992, cited in Giddens, 1998) endorse this view, claiming that children who grow up in single-parent families with no father are invariably associated with antisocial behaviour, criminality, delinquency, educational underachievement and related social problems in greater numbers than their equivalent peers brought up in two-parent households. this argument then, maintains that it is the lack of fathers to act as role models that is significant. Giddens (1998), however, suggests that this correlation is far from clear and that other variables may be equally, if not more, significant. He points out that crime rates among young people are particularly high in inner-city areas with high levels of unemployment and social deprivation. As he suggests, The contentious issue is whether fatherlessness and single parenthood on the one hand or unemployment and poverty on the other are the causes of the social problems found in such neighbourhoods. In a consumer society such as Britain, where we are constantly bombarded by media messages which promote materialistic values and encourage consumption as a means of projecting individual status, it is easy to conclude that poverty is likely to be a significant factor driving young people to commit crime in order to fund this consumption. Those who argue in favour of a return to the traditional family as a way of reducing crime would emphasise that while poverty might encourage crime, better parenting would keep this in check. and wrong. What these arguments miss, however, is the fact that having a traditional twoparent family is no guarantee that the parenting will be any better than in a single-parent family. Indeed in many cases it may be worse. If a child is brought up in an unhappy environment with parents who are suffering the There is a need, it is argued, for children to be provided with effective role models and education about right

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strains of making ends meet in difficult circumstances, one might argue that it would be better to have no role model (i.e. an absent father) than a bad one. Rather than looking specifically at parenting, it would be better to look at education more broadly, and to think about how better education might help people in these high-risk areas. Greater access to education could help to teach parenting skills; it could be used to rehabilitate offenders and discourage them from re-offending and it could provide young people with the vocational and academic skills they need to break out of the cycle of poverty in which they find themselves. In conclusion, it seems rather simplistic to look at this question in terms of a direct correlation between marriage and divorce rates and crime figures. It is necessary to take a broader view and find the underlying causes of both, which seem more likely to lie in deprivation. Only when these problems are addressed through effective education and government policy are we likely to see a significant reduction in crime. In addition, greater responsibility for education needs to be taken by all parties concerned, from parent to governments, from schools to local communities, in order to provide stability and encouragement for young people.

Introductions We are going to examine specifically how an introduction may be structured and how the thesis statement fits into an introduction. Task 3 Developing an Introduction. Look at the model below and those who have already learned this, explain to the students who are new to this kind of writing what goes in each stage of an introduction.

Stages of an introduction
1.

2. 3. 4.

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Task 4 As a class group, critically analyse this introduction to a Development studies essay. Is free trade the best policy for development? Whether free trade is the best route to economic and social development for third world countries has been an extremely controversial topic for many years now. How to reduce the obvious social economic and social inequalities between the rich and poor countries is one further area of controversy. When states face financial crises which threaten economic collapse, international organizations like the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund [IMF] have traditionally intervened and loaned great amounts of money claiming that this will aid states recovery and promote economic growth with Structural Adjustment Programmes. These programmes have been based on a neoliberal policy of conditionality: The IMF lends the money with the conditions attached that the borrowing country must adopt neo-liberal policy to open up the economy to free-trade. The advocates of neo-liberalism claim that these programmes are the best policy for less developed countries, moreover, free trade is indispensable for development. Although free trade has been promoted as a development strategy, it will be argued here that free trade is not the best policy for development, in fact, it merely deepens inequalities between rich and poor countries, destroys local industry, culture and development, and often brings social conflict and civil war.

Reference Box main stages of an introduction A broad statement of your main idea

A more specific statement closer to your main idea

A more specific statement even closer to your main idea

Your thesis statement

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Vocabulary Collocations are two or more words that often occur together. Studying collocations is a useful way to develop your vocabulary. Collocations can appear in a number of patterns. For example: Adjective + noun: heavy smoker, slim chance Verb + noun: conduct research, break the law Verb + adverb: travel widely, sleep soundly For each of the word combinations below that appear in the essay you have just read, do the following: match each word on the left with one on the right to make a collocation (sometimes more than one is possible) find the collocation in the essay and compare your answers write a sentence using each collocation
1. inner-city 2. low 3. commit 4. social 5. family 6. significant 7. antisocial 8. contentious 9. crime
Adapted from Gardner (2005) New Directions, CUP

rate (para 1) behaviour (para 3) deprivation (para 4) areas (para 4) issue (para 4) crime (para 5) factor (para 6) breakdown (para 6) income (para 6)

Homework Write a 200 word (maximum) introduction to one of the following titles:

1. Prison sentences are not the best way to deal with criminals, no matter what their crime. Discuss 2. Freedom of speech is the most important human right we possess. Discuss

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3 Week 2 Lesson 2 Dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary in texts4 It is unlikely that you will know every word in a text and even if you think you have seen every word before, it is unlikely that you will have seen a particular word in its present context. It is therefore necessary to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words in context and, perhaps, familiar words in new contexts. Task 1

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
These lines are taken from a poem called "Jabberwocky in the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It is nonsense verse. Does reading English sometimes seem equally difficult as this to you? What do you do? Reach for the dictionary? See if you can work out what the above means by considering the grammar. Dont read on yet, but have a go yourself. Now share what you got out of these lines with another student. Possible thinking processes: Where are the verbs? gyre and gimble. Where are these actions happening? In the wabe. If things are described with an adjective slithy, that sounds wet or slippery. So could a wabe be a wave? What do you do in the water when happy? jump about: gyre and gimble. Toves must be a moving thing, so is possibly an animal/fish. Do you jump about happily in a cold sea in winter? No. It was brillig sounds like brilliant weather. This was nonsense verse, so maybe you did not need to know what the meaning was anyway. Your first questions should always be: Do I need to know this word? Is it key to the meaning of the text?

Often a rough meaning is enough, such as does the word have a positive or negative meaning? If you do need to know the word, look out for definitions in a sentence. The author may know a particular word may be new so explains it. The author may also be using the word in a new, or unusual way so will need to explain how it is being
4

Lesson adapted from http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm

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used. This will be done by using a definition, an explanation, an example or by using a synonym (a word with the same meaning). The phrases "called", "known as", "is the name applied to", "in other words", "that is", "is said to be" are often used.

Examples: 1. Here, the words "polybrachygyny" and "leks" are explained.

Some male birds spend all their time mating and do not provide the female with any benefits other than indications of their vigour. This condition, called polybrachygyny, means that males that show the most effective displays are most persuasive in attracting females. These displays are given at localised courting places called leks.

2. Ductile is explained here Most metals are malleable; they can be hammered into flat sheets; non metals lack this quality. Some metals are also ductile; they can be drawn out into thin wires; non metals are not usually ductile.

3. This writer uses or to give a second definition or name to help the reader: a) Glandular fever, or infectious mononucleosis, is a serious disease. b) Each transformed organism is fitted to or adapted to its habitat. 4. The writer gives an example after a colon to help clarify:
We humans are Animalia: mobile, multicelled organisms that derive energy from ingestion ("eating").

5. Often a writer expands a description to assist the reader:

The Anthropoidea, on the other hand, are sometimes called the "higher primates." They have relatively larger and rounder skull cases, flatter faces, and mobile lips detached from the gums.

6. A writer explains, using the phrase that is:

Each tribal group, identified by the language it speaks, is an exogamous unit; that is, people must marry outside the group and therefore always marry someone who speaks another language.

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Task 2 1. What can you work out about the meaning of the words in italics from the following text? There is no doubt that some cells can exhibit chemotaxis, that is, move towards the source of chemical which is diffusing in the medium. In the seventeenth century some pre-formationists claimed they could detect in the head of the sperm cell a tiny person in miniature - a homunculus - just waiting to emerge. Other pre-formationists thought the adult was present in miniature in the egg. If the writer does not give help as in these examples, then you need to look at the context of the word. You can make use of the other words, phrases, sentences and information around the problematic word. Using this information you can find information about the meaning of the word as well as grammatical information. By using your knowledge of typical English clause and phrase structure, you can often work out the grammatical function of a particular word. In the sentence, "The spid claned lanly", as articles usually precede nouns, you can assume that "spid" is a noun. Task 3 Work out the meaning of the highlighted words in the following text from their context? There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova Milkbar was a milk-plus mesto, and you may, O my brothers, have forgotten what these mestos were like, things changing so skorry these days and everybody very quick to forget, newspapers not being read much neither. Well, what they sold there was milk plus something else. They had no licence for selling liquor, but there was no law yet against prodding some of the new veshches which they used to put into the old moloko. Our pockets were full of deng. There were three devotchkas sitting at the counter all together, but there were four of us malchicks and it was usually like one for all and all for one. These sharps were dressed in the height of fashion too, with purple and green and orange wigs on their gullivers, each one not costing less than three or four weeks of those sharps' wages, I should reckon, and make-up to match (rainbows round the glazzies, that is, and the rot painted very wide). Then they had long black very straight dresses, and on the groody part of them they had little badges of like silver with different malchicks' names on them - Joe and Mike and suchlike.
From A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

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Further ways to attack unknown words: Taking a word apart can also help you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. For example, if you do not know the meaning of the word "incomprehensible", you can work it out if you are familiar with "comprehend" meaning understand, "in" meaning not, and "-ible" meaning can. Therefore "an incomprehensible sentence" refers to a sentence that you cannot understand. It is not usually difficult to work out the grammatical category: noun, verb, adjective, adverb etc. Word ending - suffix: "-ing" or "-ed" it may be a verb "-ly", it may be an adverb "-tion", it is possibly a noun "-ise", it is probably a verb In the sentence above, "The spid claned lanly", you can work out that "claned" is the past tense of the verb "clane", and "lanly" is an adverb. Using your knowledge of the world and your subject can also help you understand a word. You can, for example, make use of your knowledge of the relationship between object and purpose, "He took the ... and drank", "She sat on the ..." Or your knowledge of cause and effect "The heavy ... caused the river to rise".

Task 4: Make a list of all the ways given in this session for attacking unfamiliar vocabulary.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3 Week 2 Lesson 3 Task 1 Writing conclusions

Working with your partner, discuss what makes a good conclusion to an academic essay. What features should you avoid in a conclusion? What must you include in a conclusion? Task 2 1. Analyse the following conclusions and assess their effectiveness. 2. Divide into pairs and analyse two conclusions per pair. Prepare to report back your opinions to the lesson. 3. Can you predict the academic field and essay title they are answering? 4. Are the conclusions written in good academic style? 1) In conclusion, the customer service policy, indeed, is the essential issue that every business has to consider when they try to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. An effective customer service policy may maximize the companies effectiveness and efficiency to assist them in achieving their objectives. The points concerning the customer service policy of BA which were discussed above, should give you a clear understanding of how necessary an effective customer service is for a company. Also, it is also important to understand that despite already possessing a good customer service policy, there are always areas in which the company can still improve. 2) In conclusion, the advocates of free trade claim that free trade is the best policy for development because it enables less developed countries to access to world market and to obtain cheap and high-quality goods, so it promotes economic growth, reduces poverty and improves their lives. However, trade liberalisation is taken advantage by transnational corporations; therefore international trade has brought a deepening of inequality between rich and poor countries, and within states. In addition, the rule of trade liberalisation is in favour of the developed countries, so the less developed countries are imposed to open markets immediately by their rule, and then the condition of impoverishment has not changed; moreover, free trade has caused the drop in the commodities price, the demolition of local community and culture, and the obstruction of development; on the other hand, the developed countries defend their local market. Although neo-liberal policies show that everybody has equal chances; therefore, there are not the conflicts anymore all over the world, there are a lot of imbalances in economic situations in particular income between the rich and poor countries and within states as well. According to the Least Developed Countries [LDCs] Report 2004, export growth did not bring the sustained poverty reduction, and then worsened the trade balance in LDCs (UNCTAD). The significant policy of development is not the imposition of free trade and the policy of liberalisation and deregulation in less developed countries, but the strength 41

of the domestic industry; in other words, the developed countries should seek the fair conditions for development each countries. (There are more examples of conclusions in the supplementary material at the back of the book) Task 3 Here is the conclusion from an essay we looked at previously, but the five sentences are mixed up. Put them in the correct order to make a logical text in the box provided. a) What is really needed is a revolution in the way society is organised; with public health and education provided for not only a rich elite in the developed world but for the population of the whole planet. b) At present governments are too heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry lobby which tends to divert funds into medical research rather than non-profit areas such as public education. c) However other measures outlined above: complementary medicine, public health measures and education have a much more important role to play. d) In conclusion, modern medicine does have some use in the treatment of diseases such as smallpox and influenza. e) Unfortunately a disease free world will not be brought about by a scientific revolution of new improved drugs.

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Task 4 Have a look again at the introduction and conclusion to this essay from week 1. How does the writer link the introduction and conclusion together? Can you identify different sections of the conclusion?

The discovery of antibiotics meant for the first time doctors could prescribe effective cures for infectious diseases. The control of these diseases also made possible surgery such as open-heart operations and kidney transplants. In the same period other medical successes included a vaccination programme to eliminate smallpox and the use of insulin to treat diabetes. This resulted in a growth of confidence in science-based medicine. However, over the past few decades there has been a growth in dissatisfaction with commercially produced medicines as the number of problems with standard medical care have increased. These problems include distrust of child MMR vaccines in the UK, addiction of patients to various anti-depressant drugs, and the increased ineffectiveness of antibiotics, flu- vaccines and anti malarial treatments due to the development of drug resistance in the causative agents. Although many would argue that medicines are generally the best way to tackle disease, this essay will argue that other methods such as complementary medicine, public health measures and education are more effective and represent a sustainable alternative to commercially produced medicines.

In conclusion, modern medicine does have some use in the treatment of diseases such as smallpox and influenza. However other measures outlined above: complementary medicine, public health measures and education have a much more important role to play. At present governments are too heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry lobby which tends to divert funds into medical research rather than non-profit areas such as public education. A disease free world will not be brought about by a scientific revolution of new improved drugs, but rather a revolution in the way society is organised, with public health and education provided for not only a rich elite in the developed world but for the population of the whole planet.

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

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REFERENCE BOX Writing a Conclusion The purpose of the conclusion is to bring your essay to a satisfying close and usually mirrors the introduction. However, whereas the introduction starts with a general sentence and progressively becomes more specific towards the thesis statement, the conclusion usually starts from the more specific and then moves to the more general. Any of the following techniques can be used to make your conclusion effective: Re-emphasise the essays main idea Broaden the subject by discussing its implications Close with something specific Re-emphasising the essays main idea The conclusion may begin by re-emphasising or reaffirming the main idea of the essay. Here there is no need to restate all the supporting points made, but to restate the thesis statement using different words. Broaden the subject by discussing its implications After restating the main idea the conclusion may broaden the essays focus by discussing the implications of the main idea. You might ask yourself What does all this mean? or Why is this important? Discussing the implications of your thesis helps the reader see the importance or meaning of your topic. Close with something specific Another technique sometimes used to make the conclusion effective is to close with something specific such as a prediction, a call for action, a short quotation or a question. A conclusion that makes a prediction turns the readers thoughts to the future. If the reader accepts your thesis, what will happen in the future? What will be the benefits? Conversely, what will happen if the reader does not accept your thesis? A call for action involves readers directly by suggesting they take some particular action in response to your argument. A short, relevant quote may sometimes be used as a kind of punch line. Concluding with a question directed at your readers keeps them thinking about your subject after they have finished reading the essay. Task 5 Look at the linking words below and discuss with a partner which connectors you personally might use in writing a conclusion.

Lets come finally to the question of the health benefits of organic food.
In brief then, there are three arguments in favour of human cloning. In conclusion, a number of practical solutions to the problems of global warming have been mentioned in this essay.

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In short, the report states clearly that more money should be spent on research into alternatives to nuclear power. So if GM crops were to be permitted in the UK, there would clearly be massive protests by anti-GM groups. The importance of animal experimentation, then, has been increasingly seen in current medical research. To conclude, this essay has outlined the practical benefits of financing the international space station with public money. To sum up, there clearly cannot be effective pharmaceutical research without the support of multinational drugs companies.

Homework

Conclusion writing

Here are two introductions. Write your own conclusion to one of these essays. Introduction 1 Genetically modified food destroys the environment and is bad for human health To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The amount of land being planted with genetically modified crops continues to increase globally, not only in developed countries like the USA, but also now in developing countries such as Indonesia and China. This process has however been the subject of much controversy and debate as environmental groups have campaigned strongly to oppose the use of these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. They have argued that GMOs are potentially dangerous as modified genes for pesticide resistance in crops may be spread to other wild species of plant. They have further argued that human health may also be affected by eating GM foods. However it will be argued here that with proper scientific control GMOs do not damage the environment or health but instead firstly bring benefits of higher yields in agricultural production, secondly protect the environment by actually reducing pesticide use and finally benefit human health by producing food with higher nutritional values.

Introduction 2 Should science students also study humanities subjects at university?

There has been much recent debate in the British press concerning the inability of scientists to communicate their research findings to a non-scientific audience. In turn scientists have also criticised the media for misrepresenting their views and using sensational language such as Frankenstein food when simply talking about GM foods. Although some scientific institutions argue that we need a highly specialised scientific and technical education for our science graduates, this essay will argue that scientists do not exist in a vacuum and should study not only pure science but also some humanities courses. This would allow scientists to put their science in a more practical context;

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develop better communication skills and see the possible effects their work might have on society.

NB: You will need to have read and be familiar with four texts on the subject of the role of women in society (in the supplementary section at the back of the booklet) for next weeks lesson. Task 6 Linking words practice Have a look at the following essay on the topic of crime and social background. It is similar to one you read earlier in the course. Fill in the blanks with the words/phrases below. There are more than you need. Sometimes, more than one answer may be possible. Compare your answers with another student.
Rising levels of crime, particularly among young people, have been at the centre of the political agenda for many years now, and are an issue of great concern for many. While police and politicians struggle to contain the problem, commentators from all areas of the political spectrum have sought to explain the reasons behind the alarming increase in crime rates. Some argue that much of the rise can be explained by the breakdown of the traditional family unit, arguing that increasing divorce and decreasing marriage rates are setting a bad example to children and leaving them without adequate role models. 1._________________________ examine some of these arguments and argue that,2.____________ at first sight there does appear to be a correlation between marriage/divorce figures and rising crime rates, this correlation is by no means clear. It will further argue that other factors, 3.____________unemployment and poverty are of far greater significance as an underlying cause of crime. Government figures show large increases in crime over a number of years. 4.____________ some falls in recent years, the overall trend is sharply upward, with a huge increase in the crime rate, from 1094 crimes per 100 000 population in 1950 to 9785 per 100 000 in 1997 (Office of National Statistics, 2000 www.statistics.gov.uk). 5. ____________ this trend, we can also see a big drop in the number of marriages from 339 498 first marriages in 1961 to just 181 135 in 1997, along with a large increase in the number of divorces during the same period, up from 27 152 to 161 087 (ibid). 6._________________________ these figures are related; that one of the most significant reasons for the increase in crime is the breakdown of the traditional family unit. In The Guardian (19/2/93), journalist Melanie Phillips claims that it is very unusual for children who are brought up in a stable family environment to turn to crime. Sociologists such as Dennis and Erdos (1992, cited in Giddens (1998)) endorse this view, claiming that children who grow up in single-parent families with no father are invariably associated with antisocial behaviour, criminality, delinquency, educational underachievement and related social problems in greater proportions than their equivalent peers brought up in two-parent households. 7.____________while these views may at first appear persuasive, on closer inspection, the link between the two sets of figures is far from clear. 8. ___________________________ the correlation is purely coincidental, or indeed that both sets of figures are in fact caused by a third variable, increasing poverty and unemployment. As Giddens (ibid) 9.____________, crime is highest in inner-city areas with high levels of unemployment and social deprivation. As he suggests The contentious issue is whether fatherlessness and single parenthood on the one hand or unemployment and poverty on the other are the causes of the social problems found in such neighbourhoods.

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10._________________ poverty may be a more decisive factor in determining the causes of crime is supported by Polly Toynbee, writing in The Guardian (13/10/99). She points out that throughout Europe, there is a clear correlation between rises and falls in the crime rate and periods of economic growth and decline. A report by the Association of Chief Officers of Probation, cited in The Guardian (16/2/93) adds further weight to this theory, 11. ____________ that many young offenders are marginalised members of society, with no access to education or jobs. Many of these young people are driven to commit crime in order to survive.

some people argue that this essay will

while

It is quite possible that in other words

it seems likely

points out

indicating

the report mentioned above however

in conclusion

there is the view that evidence to suggest that one might such as further argue that despite in addition

in parallel with

although

it is also possible to argue that

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 3 Lesson 1
Task 1 Discuss the following questions in pairs: 1. Why are references needed in academic writing? 2. What is the difference between DIRECT and INDIRECT quotations? 3. What do you think the balance between the two should be in your essay and why? 4. What kind of phrases can be used to introduce references? Task 2 Now look at the examples below and discuss whether you think they are acceptable or not. You will need to check using Text 3 (in the supplementary section at the back of the booklet) on the subject of the role of women in society: 1. As Friedl (2003) mentions, male dominance is so widespread that it is virtually a human universal. 2. It has been argued that, though the Iroqois women of North America and the Lovedu women of Africa are in many respects equal to men, neither culture can be described as a true matriarchy. 3. A combination of factors contributes to the fact that women in hunter-gather societies are generally in a subordinate position to men. (Friedl, 2003) 4. According to Friedl (2003), the source of male power among hunter-gatherers lies in their control of scarce animal protein. 5. Indeed, Ernestine Friedl claims that the hunting of animals, which provides a household with scarce protein, bestows honour and prestige on the donor. (Ernestine Friedl, 2003) 6. Friedl (2003) explains why foraging is generally done by women: Foraging falls to the women because hunting and gathering cannot be combined on the same expedition. Although gatherers sometimes notice signs of game as they work, the skills required to track game are not the same as those required to find edible roots or plants. Hunters scan the horizon and the land for traces of large game; gatherers keep their eyes to the ground in search of plants. Which of the above is a clear example of plagiarism? How do you know?

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Task 3 Purposes and categories of citation What is the purpose of using sources? Look at the following examples and match them to the different purposes below:

1) In her article Society and Sex Roles, Friedl maintains that male and female social relationships have recently become one of the chief sources of controversy among scholars and the public, especially in the United States. (Friedl 2003) 2) Friedl (2003) mentions two instances of societies where the women hold positions of power and prestige equal to those of men: the Iroquois of North America and the Lovedu of Africa. 3) Hunter-gatherer societies are described by Friedl (2003) as ones whose members subsist on wild plants, small land animals and small river or sea creatures; large land animals and sea mammals hunted with spears, bows and arrows (); and fish caught with hooks and nets. 4) Friedl (2003) provides convincing evidence to show that the male monopoly on hunting is the main reason for their power and dominance in huntergatherer societies. 5) Thus, as Friedl (2003) concludes: for most of the last two million years of human history men have hunted and women have gathered.

a) to advance an argument: a source provides evidence to support arguments or counter-arguments b) to give background: the topic is surveyed, usually in advance of the discussion c) to give a definition: a source provides a definition or an authoritative use of technical or specialist language d) to summarise ideas or to express vividly a writers point of view: a source is used to provide a colourful, pithy point, usually at the end of an essay e) to give an example: a source provides a representative example or situation to illustrate the point under discussion

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Task 4 Use of quotation Look at the following text in answer to the question: The Role of Women in Society is determined by their biology. Discuss.
It has been argued that because women are less dominant than men in many societies, this justifies the view that womens role is naturally inferior to that of men (Friedl, 2003). However, as Friedl argues, examples of societies such as the Semai or some West African tribes, where women are often chiefs, show that sex roles are not fixed, that if there is a natural order, it allows for many different arrangements. (Ibid.). According to Friedls article Society and Sex Roles, it is nevertheless true that male dominance rather than female dominance tends to be the norm. Indeed Friedl claims that: Evidence of a society in which women control all strategic resources like food and water, and in which womens activities are the most prestigious has never been found. (Ibid.)

Underline or highlight the references to sources. 1. Which is a direct quotation? Which is an indirect quotation? Which is a partial quotation? 2. What phrases has the writer used to introduce the quotations? 3. What are the grammatical differences regarding the use of that which you can see in the phrases you noted above? 4. How do you indicate that you are using the same reference as one just mentioned? Look at the Reference Box at the end of the lesson before going back to task 2 and making any corrections you think are required Task 5 Language for incorporating references Here are some examples of how you might incorporate sources in your writing: Smith argues that the consequences could be harmful. Researchers have shown that there is no evidence to support this. Notice that many verbs that refer to what someone else has written are immediately followed by noun clauses (clauses beginning with that). Some of the more common of these verbs are: agree consider indicate point out argue demonstrate assume reveal believe doubt maintain show claim explain mention state assume imply note suggest

With a partner, decide: 50

Which of the above verbs are neutral or can be used to express factual information? Which ones express bias, a particular position or opinion on the part of the writer? Which ones show a strong expression of opinion? Which ones show a weak expression of opinion?

Now choose the more appropriate verb in the following exercise: 1. Research suggests/has demonstrated that there is a link between smoking and lung cancer. 2. The quantities displayed in the table have been assumed/shown to be 98% correct. 3. Smith (1999) notes/claims that using the Internet can lead to a certain loss of social skills. 4. Jones (2002) mentions/ maintains that tourists always have a negative impact on the cultures that are visited. 5. Research indicates/points out that global warming is occurring at an ever increasing pace. Task 6 Use the language and references from the reading texts 1-4 at the back of the book (p 149) to support the following statements or opinions: 1. There will soon be more women than men entering professional careers. (Text 1)

2. Women are still finding it difficult to reach the most prestigious, best-paid jobs. (Text 1)

3. There is a link between male power and control of scarce resources. (Texts 2 & 3)

4. Biological factors are not necessarily an obstacle to womens work. (Text 2)

5. Unemployment among women is the main cause of poverty in developing countries. (Text 4)

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Reference Box References should:

State exactly where the ideas, words or quotes come from State the surname of the author(s), the year of publication and possibly the page number(s), using brackets in one of these ways:

as noted by Cohen and Smith (1987, p56), who said two researchers (Cohen and Smith, 1987) noted that

When using quotations from texts, make sure you:

Use them sparingly and only when the words are really worth quoting Use brief quotations a few words or a sentence at most Copy words and punctuation exactly Use brackets () to indicate omitted words Put quotation marks around the words you quote: X

Text citations here are two different ways of using sources: Short direct quotation within the text: Nevertheless, the film was deliberately inaccurate about the life of Jose Marti. Jesus Colon (1982) pointed this out when he wrote, Jose Marti never had a mansion or a hut of his own. Needless to say, he never had slaves. Paraphrasing Nonetheless, the film was deliberately inaccurate about Jose Marti, who, contrary to the image depicted in American films, spent much of his life in poverty (Colon, 1982)

Some rules for using quotations

Quotes must be exact, including any grammatical or spelling errors. You can include the word 'sic' in square brackets [sic] after the quoted material if there is an error in the words you are quoting. This tells the reader that the error is the writer's and not yours. Quotes should be used sparingly to make significant points and should fit well with the rest of your text. If you leave words out of a direct quotation use three dots to mark the omitted words: e.g. You do not 'have to use complete quotations... any unnecessary words can be omitted'. You can add words [which help in] making the meaning clearer. When you do this put your own words in square brackets, as above. You can use this device to ensure that your writing stays grammatically correct when using quotations. When quoting from a secondary source the author, year and page number should come from the text you have read e.g. Smith (1966, cited in Fletcher, 2005 p. 57) reported that '... there is no difference between multiplayer high compression...

52

SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 3 Lesson 2
Implied meaning is where meaning is intended but it is not directly stated. You might say, Goodness! Its a sunny day today during an English summer. You are implying that this is unusual. Tone is often used in speaking to show the implied meaning: here, the word Goodness would be strongly pronounced to show surprise. You are not stating outright that your experience so far has been that the sun does not shine in an English summer, but that is what you mean. An advertisement asking, What person would not want to take advantage of this offer? implies a person would be foolish if they were one of the (implied) few who did not do so. To be a critical reader, you need to be able to recognise in a text where the author is implying meaning in this way without directly stating it. This might persuade you to their way of thinking without you being aware of it, thus exercising manipulation through the language used. Task 1: Using the essay 5 on the next page, answer the following questions, giving evidence. 1. Does the author believe that skills developed in childhood continue into adulthood? 2. Does the author believe that native speakers of English have low ability to learn other languages? 3. According to the essay, are languages taught currently at primary schools at all? 4. If languages are taught, is this done to a high standard?

Essay and questions taken from EAP Now! by K. Cox & D. Hill, 2007. Pearson Longman

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 5. Does the author believe that individual students studying languages at university should pay for their own education? 6. In the authors opinion, do languages currently have high status as subjects among school children? .

The road to diversity: the economic benefits of universal second language education from Primary school
Paragraph 1 Due to the increasingly globalised business environment, companies are more than ever finding it necessary to communicate with people and organisations from other countries. Traditionally, people in English-speaking countries have relied on English as a language of communication, but the advantages of knowing other languages are rapidly becoming better known. It is now extremely important that companies employ people with high levels of language skills, and that improvements are made in the education system of the country to supply people with the right skills for this. This essay will elaborate some ways in which language ability is directly and indirectly useful to business, and then put forward a long term and a short term suggestion for how the education system can be improved in order to provide the skills needed. Paragraph 2 International trade depends on an ability to negotiate deals, and clearly this si much easier if a companys negotiators speak the language of the people they are doing business with after all, this motivation is one of the reasons for the enormous size of the English language teaching industry around the world. It is true that English is a very common international language, but a company can gain an advantage over its competitors by speaking its customers own languages. This would not only impress the customers and provide an extra tool for developing rapport, but would also enable companies to take opportunities that would otherwise be closed to them, for example dealing with organisations which have little or no English language skill. However, this is something that has passed businesses in English-speaking countries by, to their disadvantage. Research by the Centre for Information on Language Teaching found that a third of British exporters miss opportunities because of poor language skills. (Crystal, 1997). Even in English-speaking countries therefore, there would be considerable benefit from greater knowledge of other languages. Paragraph 3 Language learning also leads to greater understanding of other cultures, that is the cultures of a companys suppliers and customers, thus providing further competitive advantage. Language is part of culture (Kramsch, 1998:3), and therefore learning a language automatically means increased cultural knowledge, understanding and insight. This is clearly a valid educational objective in itself, but is also of great importance to

54

business. A deeper understanding of motivations and thinking in customers and suppliers own countries will clearly give an advantage over other companies not only in trade negotiations, but also in dealing with all levels of government to do things such as getting permission to build new factories, and also in the public relations sphere, which can be important for allowing acceptance of the company in a foreign country. Paragraph 4 Linked to the argument above is the idea of flexibility of thinking and being open to ideas which are different to your own or from the people and culture around you. In many cultures, flexibility and originality of thought have long been considered an asset in business and the ability to think in different languages strongly reinforces this. To take an ideal example: bilingual children have given the right circumstances been shown to have greater abilities in flexible and creative thinking than monolingual children (Saunders, 1988:19). Therefore, the learning of a second language during the early years of a childs life should be encouraged systematically across the country. An efficient way to do this would be through the public education system. Paragraph 5 Now that it has been shown how important language ability is to business, ways in which the language ability of the nation can be improved will be suggested. Native speakers of English traditionally complain that they are not good at learning languages. But perhaps the reason for this is that languages are often not taught seriously until very late, that is until after finishing Primary school. It is common knowledge that language learning is most effectively done from a much earlier age young children, if given sufficient need to learn a language, acquire it much more easily than adults. Therefore, it is imperative that language learning not only begins in Primary school, but that it also becomes an important part of the Primary school curriculum. Paragraph 6 However, for this to be successful, Primary schools need to be sufficiently resourced. This includes the training of teachers. Presently, most Primary school teachers are generalists, trained to teach a wide variety of subjects. But language education requires teachers who are fluent in the language, and the best way to provide this is to train Primary school specialists who have lived in the country where the language is spoken. While this would entail considerable investment, it is essential in order to successfully achieve a higher level of linguistic competence across the natoion. Paragraph 7 This, however, a long-term solution. What is needed in the short term is an increase in the prestige and perceived benefits of learning languages. This would increase the number and quality of students in language courses. One way forward with this is through large scale in-school promotion campaigns, which emphasise the relevance of languages to business success. Another is to emphasise the cultural and communicative aspects of language learning and to get away from the image of learning language as memorising vocabulary lists and tricky grammar rules, full of annoying exceptions, which deterred so many of the present adult population from learning languages at a high level.

55

SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 3 Lesson 3
Task 1 Analysing the essay title and gathering ideas Before you read the texts think about the following question:

The role of women in society is determined by their biology. Discuss.

In groups, analyse the question, then think of possible arguments you could use to support your opinion and make notes in the spaces provided. Then consider some possible counter-arguments to your views. Argument 1. Counter-argument

2.

3.

Now decide what your general opinion, thesis, is about this question.

56

Task 2 In academic writing, in order to have a more detailed discussion and to provide a more considered/sophisticated answer, it is necessary to consider other points of view i.e. you must include (and deal with) counter-arguments [... counterarguments are the opposite point of view to your opinion] The way you organise your ideas may depend on the topic you are writing about. Here are three possibilities. A Introduction Argument 1 Introduction Counter-arguments refutation Argument 2 Argument 1 B Introduction and Counter-argument 1 + C

argument 1 to refute it Counter-argument 2 +

argument 2 to refute it Argument 3 etc Argument 2 Counter-argument 3 +

argument to refute it etc Counter-arguments refutation Conclusion Conclusion and Argument 3 etc. Conclusion

[Note: dealing with CA may involve refuting that idea totally showing that it is not true/not a real problem OR (partly) accepting the validity of the CA but showing that your arguments are more important/outweigh the CA] Task 3 Now choose an argument and a counter-argument which you have discussed above and try to make clear links between your ideas. If you present the counterargument first, show how you are refuting this point of view. Try to use the language below: CA It might be argued that A However/Nevertheless, it is clear that Yet/On the other hand, It is often believed that On the contrary,

Although/In spite of the fact that

There is, actually, some evidence that 57

Task 4 Now choose another argument and counter-argument you have considered above and write them up in a paragraph following one of the organisational structures above. Task 5 As already mentioned, you should ensure that your argument/opinion comes across more strongly than the counter-arguments. Which of the expressions below do you think express stronger opinion (argument) and which expressions are weaker (counter-argument)? Which of the expressions show that the writer concedes that there is some support for the counter-argument?
1) It is clear that 2) It could be argued that 3) There is obviously some truth in the idea that, but 4) There is significant evidence to suggest that 5) There can be no doubt that 6) Smith (1999) puts forward a clear case for 7) It has often been suggested that 8) There is perhaps some evidence that 9) Although Smith (1999) has argued that 10) There is undoubtedly some truth in the idea that 11) It is evident that 12) Admittedly, there is 13) It might be claimed that.. 14) Research has shown that 15) Despite the claim that

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Task 6 Now look again at Texts 1 and 2 at the back of the book which discuss this issue from different perspectives. Skim through the texts i.e. do not read them in detail and decide how you might use them to add support and evidence to your points. Underline or highlight the parts of the texts that you might use Indicate whether they support an argument or a counter-argument

Task 7 Essay Planning Look at this rough plan for the above essay title:
SECTION PARAGRAPH MAIN POINTS + supporting points SOURCES TO SUPPORT IDEAS

Intro + background

1. Role of women determined by biology

a) Childrearingdeveloping countries

b) Childrearing developed world

Womens roles determined by childrearing (examples: hunter-gatherer societies)

Text 3 (supplementary text at back of booklet)

Text 2

2. Role of women at work

a) Womens employment developing countries b) Women and the glass ceiling developed world

Womens roles different arrangements

Text 3,4 (supplementary texts at back of booklet)

Text 1, 2

Conclusion

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Week 3 Homework
1. Download the reading pack from Moodle to prepare for your timed writing next lesson. You will not see the question until the next lesson. 2. Write one paragraph following the structure: counter-argument + source + refutation + argument + source This paragraph should be related to the essay question you have chosen for your academic unit essay assignment. Hand it in at the next lesson. On pages 161 & 162 are the marking descriptors that will be used to mark your timed writing exam in Week 10. Familiarise yourself with them so that you know how your timed writing will be assessed. In Week 4 Lesson 3 you will be using these descriptors yourself to assess your second timed writing.

60

SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 4 Lesson 1
Timed writing Your teacher will give you the essay title and a new reading pack. You will have around 2 hours to write the essay using the reading material you have prepared over the weekend. When this piece of work has been marked and you have written feedback on it, you will need to rewrite it and resubmit it to see if you have managed to improve it. It is this second piece of writing which you will finally submit in your folder. Please submit two copies to your teacher for the feedback lesson.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies

Week 4 Lesson 2
Academic writing often uses noun phrases instead of clauses. This practice can result in some rather complex sentences which, as a reader, you have to examine to find their meaning. It can be difficult to find the exact meaning of the sentence as there are so many words. To help you unravel the meaning, try and identify the headword in a phrase or sentence and the main verb. In a phrase or sentence, the headword is the most important word around which all the rest of the information hangs. For example, In the noun phrase 'University lecturers with more than three years' experience.' the headword is the noun 'lecturers'. In the prepositional phrase 'in this part of the body.' the headword is the preposition 'in'. In academic writing, subject and object nouns the headwords - are often given extra information. Writers do this by adding one or more modifiers to the headword. These modify or add to the headword to give it extra meaning. They are used to give further detail and can also show the writers position on the subject. Modifiers can be single adjectives such as a grey cat or phrases, such as an exceptionally scrawny grey cat of indeterminate species . How do you feel about the cat in both phrases? Sometimes a very long noun phrase is used, which makes the meaning hard to understand at first. Can you identify the headword in this sentence?
The average distance travelled to their 'main' store by the 276 respondents who switched to the new store, fell by 2.25 kms in the pre-intervention period to 0.98 kms in the post-intervention period.6

If you can practise looking for the headword in the phrases in the texts you are reading, you will begin to understand the meaning more rapidly. The words and phrases the writer uses to modify the headword are important too but if you want to get the main gist you can discount these on a first reading. Task 1 With a partner, go through the following text and highlight the headwords. When you have finished, share your results and discuss any difficulties you encountered.
http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb063/eap/05/vs70402.htm this.
6

The headword is: distance everything else modifies

62

Emerging adulthood, the transitional period between high school and young adulthood, is marked by the formation of identity, the establishment of more mature interpersonal and intimate relationships, and the transition to new adult-type roles. It also is a time of increased alcohol use and abuse, which can have long-term effects on both physical and psychological well-being and may have implications for the attainment of traditional adult roles. Gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, college, employment, peer and family influences, individual temperament, and attitudes about drinking all influence drinking behavior in this population. Attending college may represent a special risk to emerging adults, as increases in alcohol availability and acceptance of drinking on college campuses may lead to increases in heavy drinking among students. The nonstudent population of emerging adults also is an important target for preventive interventions, especially because people in this segment of the population may be less likely to mature out of heavy drinking patterns established during adolescence. Thus, the transition from high school to young adulthood appears to be an ideal developmental turning point during which to target interventions.
Helene Raskin White, Ph.D., and Kristina Jackson, Ph.D. Social and Psychological Influences on Emerging Adult Drinking Behavior Alcohol research & Health Vol28, Number 4, 2004/2005

Task 2 Noun phrases in academic writing In academic writing, relative clauses [remind each other what these are!] are often omitted and replaced by a noun clause. e.g. Lecturers who teach on the pre-sessional course also teach students who are on the main degree courses. Pre-sessional lecturers also teach main degree course students. Which sentence above do you prefer and why? e.g. Data that has been released lately Newly released data e.g. A part of the course that must be completed A mandatory part of the course 63

This last example is a little more difficult as the writer is now using academic vocabulary you may not be familiar with. You can see that is a much more concise style of writing, however. Try these: 4. People who create web pages 5. Research that has been done recently 6. The fossils that have been newly unearthed 7. Some of the radio stations that broadcast on shortwave 8. Researchers who know a lot about the subject 9. Children who speak two languages 10. Women who do not have enough iron in their blood Noun phrases can also replace other kinds of clauses. In the following pairs of sentences, underline the clause and the noun phrase which replaces it. 1. Researchers have to judge how valid and reliable the web sites are.
Researchers have to judge the validity and reliability of the web sites. 2. Results suggest that students use the www widely. Results suggest widespread use of the www by students. 3. Women have a weaker immune response to allergens with each successive pregnancy Women's immune response to allergens weakens with each successive pregnancy.

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Task 3 Rewrite the following sentences using noun phrases instead of clauses. Part of each sentence has been given to help you.
1. The test aimed to prove how playable the game was. The test aimed to prove ............................................................................... game

2. There was a clear pattern to how participants self-assessed their performance Participants' ...................................................................... showed a clear pattern. 3. The blades were extremely sharp and this made them highly effective weapons. The ......................................................................made them highly effective weapons 4. The map shows where the new areas of forestry are. The map shows ............................................................................................................

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 4 Lesson 3
You will have a one to one tutorial with your teacher in this class slot today. While these are going on, you as a class need to do the following work. Your teacher will provide you with an unmarked copy of your essay to work on. Task 1 The following questions will help you to critically examine your timed essay and give you an idea of how to improve. Use your essay to answer the questions below. 1. 2. 3. Did you write a plan? What did it include? Did you write a clear introduction and thesis statement? How many paragraphs did you write in the body of your essay (Dont count your introduction or conclusion)? Do they all fully relate to the question? Have you included counter-arguments? If yes, highlight or circle them. 5. 6. Does your essay have a conclusion? Highlight where you have referred to sources from the reading texts. Did you use a variety of different sources? Did you fully acknowledge each of them? Did you use both quotes and paraphrases? What language did you use to introduce your references? Did you use a variety of different ways? Did you check and correct your language at the end?

4.

7.

Look back at your responses to the questions above. Now, in the boxes below write a clear analysis of your performance.

Areas in which I did relatively well:

66

Particular things I need to improve upon:

Task 2 Your teacher will give you an individual feedback form with comments on your essay. Are the comments similar to your own assessment of your work? Task 3 The essay you wrote for your timed writing was a discussion essay. There are other ways in which essay questions can be framed. Some of these are: Outline the proposals for action suggested in the recent government White paper on global warming. To what extent is global warming a problem in the world today? How far do you agree with the suggestion that prevention of the planets destruction through global warming is a government issue not a personal one? Compare and contrast the action points suggested in the recent UK government white paper with the actions currently being suggested in the USA How far are the good practices to avoid global warming of individuals and governments world wide being outweighed by Americas refusal to co operate? In the above essay titles, how does the framing of the question alter the focus of your discussion of the topic in each case? Think about the essay you have just written: How would you have focussed your arguments if the title had been framed differently? In pairs, discuss how you would tackle the following questions: 1) Outline the benefits to be gained from banning advertisements aimed at children and discuss whether there should be stricter controls on them. 2) To what extent do advertisements aimed at children create problems? Is there a case for banning them? 3) How far do you agree that there should be a ban on television advertisements aimed at children? 67

4) Compare and contrast the effects on the behaviour and attitudes of children who have been exposed to television advertisements aimed at them and the behaviour and attitudes of those who have not watched them.

Task 4 Choose one of the above and write a thesis statement for it and critically evaluate yours and your partners. Task 5 Take four sentences from your essays. Try to find any language errors and correct them. 1.

2.

3.

4.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 5 Lesson 1
Paraphrasing Good academic writing is precise impersonal cautious displays knowledge your own ideas Task 1 Have a look at the style of this paragraph and underline any examples of poor style.
A lot of people think that the weather is getting worse. They say that this has been going on for quite a long time. I think that they are quite right. Research has shown that we now get storms etc. all the time.

Task 2 Complete the table below with a diagnosis of what is wrong in the paragraph above and a possible alternative in academic style.

Example
the weather.. ..getting worse. They say. going on.. .quite a long time.. I think.. Research has shown.. we now get Storms etc.. all the time

Problem

Alternative

A lot of people think.. imprecise It is widely believed .. imprecise The climate.. (weather is short term) informal

Vague- whose research? informal

Compare your alternatives with the model paragraph below.

It is widely believed that the climate is deteriorating. It is claimed that this process has been continuing for nearly 100 years. This belief appears to be supported by Darlinstein (2004), who shows a 55% increase in the frequency of severe winter storms since 1905.

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Now try these: first underline the examples of poor style and then rewrite them in a more suitable way. a) Lots of people think that the situation in Iraq is getting worse. b) You cant always trust the numbers in the report. c) The second thing is that most kids in the district will become criminals. d) I think theres a big risk of strikes, disorder etc. e) Sometime soon they will find a vaccine for malaria. f) A few years ago they allowed women to vote.

(The conventions for academic writing can be found in the supplementary materials at the back of the book page 154.) Being precise in academic writing means that it does not contain vague statements or generalisations. Look at these examples: Lots of people responded to the questionnaire. Most of the replies were negative. (vague) There were 175 responses to the questionnaire in total. 92% of the replies did not want the proposed motorway to be built. (precise) A large number of people in Britain would like to be vegetarians, particularly those who live in the south-East. ( a generalisation, often referred to as a sweeping statement) A survey in the Times newspaper (July 15 2005) indicated that a considerable number of people in Britain would like to be vegetarians. This trend proved to be most significant in the South East of Britain where 48% of the respondents declared an interest compared to 38% on average elsewhere in the country. (precise)

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Task 3 Turn the following statements into more precise ones. To do this you will need to give some hard facts and refer to some (imagined) research done 1. Research has shown that children who attend nursery school do better in their primary school. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Boys do not like the colour pink. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 3. Eating potatoes which have green skins during pregnancy has often been found to cause spinal deformities in babies. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 4. Unemployment figures are higher in the North of England than in the South. An employee in Liverpool is therefore more likely to be out of work than someone working in Brighton. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 5. Bread and potatoes are considered to be quite important foods in Britain. Everybody in Britain includes these in their diet every day. _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

6. Sales have increased dramatically lately. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 7. Drinking a lot of alcohol is bad for the liver. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

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Being tentative in academic writing means that you suggest possible outcomes; you do not state that they will happen; this reduces the opportunity for challenge. To be tentative, use the expressions tends to, may, might and could rather than definite statements using will and can. Task 4 Rewrite the following, using more tentative language: a) This essay has shown that these measures need to be adopted immediately and this would then result in a definite and significant impact on young peoples behaviour. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ b) Without a doubt, this policy is the right one to follow.

_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ c) Capitalism is the best economic system. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ d) Tests show conclusively that this is the correct procedure to follow at all times. _________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ e) There will never be any progress until this policy is put into place. ________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

As you have found, academic writing has its own style, using formal academic vocabulary and complex sentences with a number of noun phrases in them. As a general rule, no phrasal verbs are suitable for academic writing.

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Task 5 In pairs, try and replace the following phrasal verbs with more formal choices. Do not use a dictionary; try and think of alternatives yourself. 1. Expert Systems can help out the user in the diagnosis of problems.

2. This program was set up to improve access to medical care.

3. Research expenditures have gone up to nearly $350 million.

4. The use of optical character readers (OCRs) should cut down the number of problems with the U.S. mail service.

5. Researchers have found out that this drug has serious side effects.

6. Building a nuclear power plant will not get rid of the energy problem completely.

7. Researchers have been looking into this problem for 15 years now.

8. This issue was brought up during the investigation.

9. Engineers can come up with better ideas using CAD.

10. The emissions levels have been going up and down.

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Academic writing displays knowledge. It does this by giving examples and facts and instances of research as evidence for its statements. Articles and research papers can be quoted directly or paraphrased in your words or summarised, where you mention only the key points useful to your argument in your own words. Look at the example of paraphrasing 7 and some notes on how to do it below: Source: It has long been known that Cairo is the most populous city on earth, but no-one knew exactly how populous it was until last month. Paraphrase: Although Cairo has been the worlds most heavily populated city for many years, the precise population was not known until four weeks ago. The following stages may be useful to help you paraphrase: 1. Make a list of the main ideas of the text. a. Find the important ideas - the important words/phrases. In some way mark them - write them down, underline or highlight them. b. Find alternative words/synonyms for these words/phrases - do not change specialised vocabulary and common words. 2. Change the structure of the text. a. Identify the meaning relationships between the words/ideas - e.g. cause/effect, generalisation, contrast. Express these relationships in a different way. b. Change the grammar of the text: change nouns to verbs, adjectives to adverbs, etc., break up long sentences, combine short sentences. 3. Rewrite the main ideas in complete sentences. Combine your notes into a piece of continuous writing. 4. Check your work. a. Make sure the meaning is the same. b. Make sure the style is your own.

Taken from www.uefap.com

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Task 6 You will often be paraphrasing when you cite other peoples ideas. Use your skills at citation and choose appropriate reporting verbs to paraphrase the following pieces of evidence 8: 1. The end of civilisations in the past has often been caused not by political or economic change as previously supposed, but by climatic change. Harvey Weiss & Raymond Bradley, 2001 2. According to Chakraverty (2000) the question we should examine is whether logging in the north-west of Govindia should be allowed to continue. 3. Fitter (2000) argued that due to climate change, many plants in the U.K. are flowering many weeks earlier every year than they did 40 years ago. 4. I would like to propose the concept of shifting taxation from positive transactions (such as the receiving of income) towards transactions with more negative impacts, such as the purchase of products which are bad for the environment as put forward by Ozlem Aksu (2002).

Homework
Looking ahead to the academic assignment you are going to write, write two paragraphs where you are presenting 2 arguments and counter arguments for your topic. Give evidence to support these arguments and show that you are able to do this correctly. Also include one example of paraphrase. Your overall style needs to be academic, and you need to be grammatically correct. You will be assessed on all these aspects of your writing, to show what you have learned so far.

From EAP Now! p. 151 by K. Cox & D. Hill 2007. Pearson Longman

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 5 Lesson 2
Critical thinking focuses on argument. If you are able to identify the main argument, you are better able to direct your attention to the most appropriate material and therefore read more efficiently. Task 1 Argument vs Disagreement What is the difference between argument and disagreement? In the passages below, identify whether the author is presenting an argument or a disagreement. Passage 1 Bilingualism and multilingualism confer many benefits. Speakers of more than one language have a better understanding of how languages are structured because they can compare across two different systems. People who speak only one language lack this essential point of reference. In many cases, a second language can help people to have a better understanding and appreciation of their first language. Passage 2 Complementary therapies are an increasingly popular supplement to other forms of treatment. Those who use these therapies argue that treatments such as reflexology, homeopathy and shiatsu complement the care provided by the medical profession. Indeed, some people claim that these therapies are more effective than traditional medicines. Anecdotal cases of miraculous cures abound and there are those who believe such methods can compete on equal terms with medical approaches. This is not convincing at all. To identify an argument, it is useful to keep in mind the following questions: What was the purpose of text? What is the main message? What does the author want me to accept or believe or do? What reasons have they offered for their position?
Key words Position - a point of view Agreement to accept someones point of view Disagreement To hold a different point of view from someone else Argument - Using reasons to support a point of view to persuade the reader. An argument may include disagreement, but is more than simply disagreement if it is based on reasons.

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Task 2 Apart from argument, what other reasons does an author have for writing in academic texts? Discuss the differences between the following: - description - explanation - argument - summary Read the passages below and identify whether each is an example of argument, a summary, an explanation or description. In each case, justify your answer.
Passage 1 The solar system is an inhospitable place not just for humans but also for machines. Despite this, over 8000 satellites and spacecraft were launched into space from more than 30 countries between 1957 and 2004. Over 350 people have hurtled through space, not all returning to earth. Launch sites based near the equator, such as that at Kourou in Guyana, enable rockets to make best use of the earths rotation. Passage 2 New-born babies may lack the capacity to monitor their own breathing and body temperature during the first three months of life. Babies who sleep alongside their mothers could benefit from learning to regulate their breathing and sleeping, following the rhythm of the parent. These babies wake more frequently than those who sleep alone. Moreover, mothers who sleep next to their babies are better able to monitor their child for movement at night. Consequently, it may be safer for new-born babies to sleep with their parents. Passage 3 The article outlined the difference between individual yawns and infectious yawning. It referred particularly to research by Professor Platek which suggests that only humans and great apes yawn sympathetically. The article went on to say that people who yawn more easily in response to other peoples yawns are also more likely to be good at inferring other peoples states of mind. Finally, the article indicates some social benefits of yawning, suggesting that contagious yawning might have helped groups to synchronise their behaviour.

Passage 4 There were many reasons why the student was an hour late for the seminar. First of all, a pan caught fire, causing a minor disaster in his kitchen. It took twenty minutes to restore order. Then, he could not find his house keys. That wasted another ten minutes of his time. Then, just as he closed the door behind him, the postwoman arrived, saying there was a parcel to be signed for. Her pen did not work which held them up further. Finally, of course, he had to find his keys which had once more slipped to the bottom of his bag, in order to re-open the door and place the parcel on the table.

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Reference Box: Other reasons for writing 1) Non-arguments: Description Descriptions tell us how something is done or what something is done like. They do not give reasoned accounts of how or why something occurred nor do they evaluate outcomes. In academic writing, description should be factual, accurate and free of value judgments. Description is sometimes confused with critical analysis as both can investigate an issue in detail. However, description is not intended to persuade to a point of view but more information about the issue being described. 2) Non-arguments: Explanations and Summaries Explanations can appear to have the structure of an argument. They may include statements and reasons, leading to a final conclusion, and be introduced by signal words similar to those used for arguments. However, explanations do not attempt to persuade the audience to a point of view. They are used to: - account for why or how something occurs - draw out the meaning of a theory, argument or other message 3) Summaries Summaries are reduced versions of longer messages or texts. A summary repeats the key points as a reminder of what has been said already, drawing attention to the most important aspects. A conclusion may include a summary of what has already been said.

Task 3: Read the passage 9and identify the following: the authors main idea reasons given to support this the authors consideration of opposing arguments . and other types of message such as: the introduction description explanation summary background information

From Cottrell (2005): Critical Thinking Skills Palgrave Macmillan

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Is there anyone out there?

In some countries, the idea there is life on other planets would make people laugh or sneer. In others, the inhabitants not only believe in life elsewhere in the universe but make efforts to communicate with it. There are certainly doubters and believers on this issue. One traditional argument for the existence of extraterrestrial life, known as the plenitude theory, is that there are so many star systems in the universe that it is unlikely that only earth would bear intelligent life. Indeed, it could be considered the folly of human arrogance to think that we are the only intelligent life in all of space. Not so, argue those who compelling one, is that life which led to the evolution even once. They consider occur again. subscribe to contingency theory. Their argument, and it is a is a happy accident, serendipity. They claim that the processes of life are so complicated that it is extraordinary they occurred it extremely unlikely that the same set of processes could ever

Thus, we have very divergent theories on whether there is life out there or not. It is unlikely that there is extraterrestrial life. For over 100 years, radio waves have been used to track space for signs of life and so far have uncovered nothing. If there was intelligent life out there, it is probable that we would have identified some sign of it by now. The most convincing current argument for extraterrestrial life comes from convergence theory. This refers to situations when two different species are faced with a problem and independently arrive at the same solution. For example, both bats and birds evolved wings in order to fly. Similarly, octopus and squid have camera-like eyes. The species evolved separately, arriving at these adaptations independently. This suggests that although there may be infinite possibilities in the universe, nature tends to repeat itself. Morris (2004) has argued that where nature has produced something once, it is likely to produce it again. However, Morris himself recognises that even the basic conditions for life may be rare in the universe. Nature may be willing but the conditions might not be right. It is probable that the exacting conditions required for life are unlikely to be found more than once. It is unlikely that other planters will be exactly the right distance from their sun, with the right gravity, the right combination of chemicals and physics, with water and atmosphere. Although convergence theory indicates that nature tends to reproduce the same outcomes, and plenitude theory argues that the multiplicity of star systems increases the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, the arguments are not convincing. The conditions for life itself are so fragile and complex that is remarkable that life occurred even once, much less that it could be repeated elsewhere.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 5 Lesson 3
Task 1 Read the following article and identify the following: the main argument examples to back up the writer counter arguments the purpose of the article the purpose of the diagrams anything surprising

Recession whets diners appetites

By Christopher Thompson

Last updated: October 18, 2012

Alamy

The Restaurant Group, which has 350 outlets, has seen dining-out sales grow during the recession. When Northern Rock collapsed in 2008, Andrew Page, chief executive of The Restaurant Group, asked his finance director to draw up a battle plan for the approaching recession. The alarm bells started ringing for us, he says. We looked at our capital budgets, what returns we should be looking for, and thought very hard about our cost base We didnt know what lay ahead in terms of sales and customers.

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But four years later, in the midst of a second recession, Mr Pages concerns are very different: finding enough sites for the rollout of Coast to Coast, the companys new American restaurant chain. Ive never seen a recession like this whats been surprising is the resilience of the dining-out market, he admits. In common with its listed peers Prezzo, Dominos Pizza and the food-led pub businesses Marstons and Greene King The Restaurant Group has registered like-for-like sales growth throughout the downturn. Even as consumers reined in their overall spending, the UKs eating-out market has grown nearly 7 per cent since 2007, to an estimated 31.5bn in sales this year, according to Mintel. Fast food has been the fastest-growing segment, increasing overall sales by 7.8 per cent between 2007 and 2011, to 8.5bn. Restaurant sales grew by 1.1 per cent to 19bn over the period, steadily gaining momentum since the economys nadir in 2009. The Restaurant Group, whose 350 outlets are mostly outside London, is banking on more growth to come. Next year, it is investing up to 9m to build 10 Coast to Coasts as part of a 30-strong restaurant expansion plan. The reason? UK diners will become more like Americans in their tastes and behaviour, according to Mr Page. If you look at our level of eating out compared to the US, theres still some way to go, he argues. Im very firmly of the view that weve got another generation of growth in the dining-out market. Over the past 30 years, the UKs eating-out spend as a proportion of total food spend has doubled to about one-third, according to research by Deloitte. That compares with 50 per cent in the US. There has been a cultural change towards eating out more and were reluctant to give it up when times are hard, says Jon Lake, a finance director in Deloittes leisure team. Pub companies, which have expanded their food offering to offset lacklustre beer sales, have been among the primary beneficiaries, increasing revenues by 400m to 6.4bn since 2007, according to Mintel. Meanwhile, branded restaurant operators have used their economies of scale to offer meal discounts and lure more footfall through their doors, even if operating margins suffer in the short term.The chains have been able to benefit from scale, in terms of savings in the procurement process [of inputs] and discounts, which have become such a big part of eating-out culture, says Helena Spicer, a senior food service analyst at Mintel. Those most affected by unemployment young people have been the most keen to eschew financial worries and eat out more. Consumers aged between 18 and 34 are eating and drinking out an average of 32 times a month, up from 25 times a month a year ago, according to Deloitte. That is nearly double the rate of Generation X people aged 35-54 years and more than three times the baby boomer generation people aged 55 years and above. Diners in the youngest age group also spend 9 per cent more than the national average of 15.07 per person on table service dining. With economic headwinds showing little sign of abating, diners may trade down. But, according to Mr Page, eating out will remain a priority.It has become a small-ticket item, he said. Were seeing a shift towards less stuff and more experiences: not another carpet or kitchen but people are prepared to go out for a family meal.
Taken from: The Financial Times Limited 2012. .

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Task 2 There are several direct quotes in the passage. Take three of them and paraphrase them to make them indirect quotes in a more academic style. 1. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Task 3 Extract the information from the charts and assess their usefulness. Homework Now summarise the text in around 60 words. Swap with another student and evaluate each others work.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 6 Lesson 1
Timed writing Your teacher will give you the essay title and a new reading pack. You will have around 2 hours to write the essay using the reading material you have prepared. Please bring your copy of your Academic writing supplementary material book that you were given at the start of term to the next class.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 6 Lesson 2
Using Sources to Structure Argument and Counter-argument As you well know by now, it is necessary to provide support for the arguments and counter-arguments in the form of quotes/facts/statistics/examples wherever possible to avoid discussing the issues at a very general level with no real evidence. Task 1 a) Look at the following extract from a text and decide with a partner where it would benefit from some supporting evidence: It might be argued that women are now equal to men in terms of job opportunities and access to most positions in the work place. However, in many developing countries women still lag far behind men with regard to paid employment and job status. Women are much more likely to be unemployed and consequently to bear the burden of poverty and deprivation. b) Now look at the following pieces of supporting statements and put them into the appropriate place above. What difference does it make to the strength of ideas? 1. In areas such as the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, only 40 women per 100 men are economically active. 2 Women are now entering professional careers in walks of life that used to be predominantly male, for instance: medicine, the church and the law. 3. In most cases the growth in womens work has not been accompanied by true economic empowerment, nor has it led to equal pay for work of equal value.

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Task 2 Citing sources correctly How would you write up your references if you used these sources? Decide in pairs how you would write these up, using your academic writing student book for help, then start to write up the complete bibliography on a separate sheet. N.B. Two of these sources are not considered acceptable, so dont use them.
1. Finance for Beginners by Ian MacKenzie, published by LTI international, London, in 2001 2. A book edited by Sally Hamptons, called Voices on Literacy published in 2005 by Cambridge University Press which contains an article by Douglas Fir, written in 1999, called Different Literacies. 3. A brochure you found called SOAS: What you need to get in in the student union published by SOAS about entry requirements this year. 4. A website, homepage www.litcom.ac.uk and you found it yesterday. You looked at information about literacy on http://www.litcom.ac.uk/diflits/9OP/go/work 5. An article in the Metro newspaper, found today, called Obama stands firm on gun law written by a staff writer 6. A textbook called Business Studies, by Dave Hall, Rob Jones, Carol Smith, and David Bloom, published 2001 by Hall Publishing, in Toronto 7. A magazine article called The Poverty Trap in a magazine called New Internationalist, published in London this March 18th by New Internationalist Press 8. An article in the New England Medical journal, volume 10, issue 7, found last Monday on line at www.newenglandmedjournal.com , by Rashid Moviak, Dr. Kane Swartzer and Katherine Shweiss called The Bird Flu virus and survival in the 21st century based on a study they did in 2004. 9. An ancient Chinese proverb that everyone in your country knows, but few Westerners know. 10. An article in the Guardian newspaper, entitled Obama urges action on Mali by Janet Porter, found today.

When you have finished, check them as a group and take note of where you made mistakes, as next week you will be writing up your academic assignment and will need to be perfect in this skill.

Homework
Finish writing up the complete and correct version of the bibliography from the list above and submit it. When your teacher has corrected your version, re write it and put this corrected version into your homework folder.

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SOAS University of London International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 6 Lesson 3
Task 1 Discuss with your partner what you think connects the four images below?

http://www.neiu.edu/~ejhowens/plagiarism/plagiarism.jpg

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Task 2 Look at the original text below and comment on the four attempts to use it as a source and decide whether they are well referenced or plagiarised?

Ellwood, W. (2001) The No-nonsense Guide to Globalisation p. 43 (London: Verso Books)

1) During the period from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s corrupt governments in the developing world found it extremely easy to obtain loans from international organisations such as the World Bank and the IMF. These loans were especially easy to obtain if the governments in question were fighting on the right side of the Cold War and buying large quantities of armaments from Northern suppliers (Ellwood 2004 p43).

2) During the period from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s corrupt governments in the developing world found it extremely easy to obtain loans from international organisations such as the World Bank and the IMF. Ellwood (2004 p43) explains that loans were especially easy to obtain if the states in question were fighting on the right side of the Cold War and buying large quantities of weapons from Northern countries. 3) During the period from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s corrupt governments in the developing world found it extremely easy to obtain loans from international organisations such as the World Bank and the IMF. Loans were especially easy to obtain if the governments in question were fighting on the right side of the Cold War and buying large quantities of armaments from Northern suppliers (Ellwood 2004 p43).

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4) During the period from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s corrupt governments in the developing world found it extremely easy to obtain loans from international organisations such as the World Bank and the IMF. Ellwood (2004 p43) explains that loans were given to dictators such as Marcos in the Philippines if they opposed communism in the cold war and spent the loans buying western produced weapons.

Task 3 Look at the original text below 10 and write a similar mini-paragraph using the text below as a source. Divide into three groups, each group should write a different type of citation: a) one example of plagiarism b) one direct quote c) one paraphrase Structure the short text so that the quote is used to elaborate on the following argument showing argument and source:
It is wrong to blame solely third world governments for corruption and mismanagement of IMF loans.

Task 4 Giving adequate and appropriate support to your argument is necessary for effective writing. In the following paragraph, note where the writer has not got enough support or not referenced support adequately. The first thing a marker would say at these points is Prove it! Show me your evidence. In each case, the writer needs to provide some support from reliable sources to strengthen the argument presented. What kind of support would be useful in each case (e.g. statistics, quotation from an academic source etc.)? Be as specific as you can. Where in the paragraph should the source material be placed?

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Globalisation and climate change

The most obvious way in which economic globalisation affects climate change is through the increased transport of raw materials and products around the world. Global free trade has been promoted by politicians and economists as it is supposed to lead to increased prosperity for all. This is not the case; it leads to increased prosperity for some, but others are impoverished, and nearly all suffer greater insecurity because of it. It also does enormous harm to the environment by encouraging the burning of fossil fuels. Trade transport uses much of the worlds oil production and although many of goods are carried by ships, air transport is taking an increasing proportion and uses a lot of energy. This is now estimated to be responsible for climate change, but despite this, there is no control over the emissions of greenhouse gases from aircraft, even though there have been attempts to control those from other sources. Smith demonstrated that aircraft fuel is not even taxed, and a proposal to tax it had to be withdrawn because of a threatened boycott by the worlds airlines.

Task 5 Look at the text (Ellwoood p 94-5) below and paraphrase some of the direct quotes.

Compare with others. 89

School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3 Week 7 Lesson 1 Task 1 Look at the essays below. In each case, use the marking descriptors from timed writing essays to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the essays. Remember to think about the following: Essay features: - the thesis statement - the organisation of argument and counter argument - the references to sources and the use of sources Linguistic features: - repetition of words - use of informal words - accuracy / clarity of expression TITLE: Complementary Medicine has no place in Modern Society. Discuss. Essay 1 Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) becomes more and more popular in the modern society. Whether complementary medicine is worth to rely on is a popular topic in our daily life. Many people have different opinion about complementary medicine. Some people think complementary medicine is good, because it can cure many kinds of diseases. Some people think the disadvantage of complementary is more than its advantage. It is hard to say complementary medicine is good or bad because it has been good and bad points in different fields. Although complementary medicines had some benefits, this essay will argue complementary medicine has some serious side effects, such as wasting our money on the research of complementary medicines, many people are killed because of complementary medicines and no scientific evidence exists to support complimentary medicine. Some people think complementary medicine is good so they prefer complementary medicine to conventional medicine. One of the reasons why they choose complementary medicines is because they think complementary medicine is much cheaper than conventional medicine. According to BBC news, a poll which conducted by ICM shows that the more people choose complementary medicine the more NHS money can be saved. The professor of complementary medicines at the peninsula Medicines School at the University of Exeter and Plymouth do a research shows that 13.2% of the people who choose complementary medicine is because conventional medicine is too expensive (Edzard Ernst, 2004). However, in fact complementary medicine becomes more and more popular in our daily life. People pay more attention to complementary medicine. Thus the money used on complementary is increasing. Complementary medicine could become 90

much more expensive than before. The money we used on spinal manipulation for back pain is quite expensive now, it is about two times as the money we used on normal

medicine care (Edzard Ernst, 2004). If complementary medicine is proved as a wrong treatment, it means we are wasting our money and time on it. Complementary medicine becomes more and more popular. More and more people try to chase complementary medicine. People choose complementary medicine for various reasons. The most important reason is they feel complementary medicine can help them to feel better from their suffering of their diseases. According to BBC news, the poll which was conducted by ICM of 1,200 people shows that one in five people in Britain prefer complementary medicine to conventional medicine. Most of the people who choose complementary medicine is because complementary medicine worked for them, help them for relaxing and prevent illness (www.news.bbc.co.uk) but in fact complementary medicine is dangerous while quite a lot of people who choose it have not noticed. Complementary medicine has no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of the treatments on offer and even some people think that alternative medicine is seeped in bad science and is practised by charlatans or deluded (www.news.bbc.co.uk). Many practitioners of complementary medicine tell lie to the consumers to attract them to choose complementary medicine. Many of the evidence which practitioners of complementary medicine is unsure. The herbal medicines are not safe. A lot of herbal medicines have not been subjected to any clinical trials and there is much material marketed of unknown quality (Edzard Ernst, 2004). We can believe conventional medicine, because it is already tested. But we have not do some tests on complementary medicine. Although there is not scientific evidence to support complementary medicine, still many people choose it. If can become a serious problem. Complementary medicine can cure some kinds of diseases. Some people can be cured after they use complementary medicine. Some evidence shows that complementary does work in some areas. According to the BBC, clinical tests in Italy shows that a Chinese remedy for breech births which involves burning a herb at the toe of a pregnant woman actually works. 29 people who try to use acupuncture feel better after operations (www.news.bbc.co.uk). Some researchers said that complementary medicine can cure some diseases not because complementary medicine is really useful just because people believe it. According to BBC news, two people after they take Aristolichia feel ill. Some research shows people may die because of the complementary medicine by the Internet health practitioners (www.news.bbc.co.uk). Although complementary medicine has some benefits to the people and some kinds of diseases can be cured by complementary medicine, this essay will argue complementary medicine has more serious disadvantages than its advantages. If complementary medicine becomes more and more popular, without control, many people could be in danger. Complementary medicine has no scientific evidence to support. It is not safe in many areas. Even people can be killed because of complementary medicine. Many practitioners provide unsure evidence to the consumers, so people need to filter fact from fiction. 91

Health is quite important for everyone in the world. No matter what kind of medicine you take, please make sure you have enough information about the therapy you choose.

Essay 2
Nowadays medicine take an important place in each persons life. All people around the world cannot be sure that they are safe from different diseases. Medicine is very different now: as well as conventional medicines, there are high amount of treatments related to complementary medicine. Alternative medicine, for instance, herbal and homeopathic treatments, become very popular. Many people believe that complementary medicine is very helpful. However, this essay will argue that complementary medicine cannot exist outside the conventional medicine and complementary treatments must be scientifically proved. There are a few arguments why complementary medicine could take place in society. First of all, complementary is becoming very booming. In Britain, people spend 1.6 billion pounds every year on complementary medicine. The newspapers and magazines are full of anecdotes about successful complementary treatments. The often gullible public believe to these reports. According to the survey, more than 50 per cent of people thought that it would be interesting to try complementary medicine (The Guardian, 2004). Secondly, some people do not believe in conventional medicine, that is why they prefer alternative medicine. Moreover, some doctors refer their patients to an alternative therapist. This fact could confuse people, because it means that occasionally conventional medicine could be powerless (BBC, 1999). However, there are some arguments why alternative medicine cannot exist in modern society without scientific foundation. The main point is that complementary medicine is overcrowded with licensed doctors. Many scientists say that complementary has no any foundation. Very often people, who use alternative medicine can be mislead into believing they are being cured, when little or not scientific evidence exists to support the effectiveness of the treatments on offer (BBC, 1999). Moreover, alternative medicine includes financial issues. Many people start to treat some patients in order to have some financial benefit. Very often these treaters do not know what they are doing (The Guardian, 2004). In addition, most of the complimentary treatments do not have any scientific proof. This medicine cannot really show their treatment works. Alternative medicine could provide some little success in the treatment, but it cannot treat a person totally who suffers from serious disease. In conclusion, although there are some evidences that could stand for alternative medicine, it must be researched by scientists in a proper way to know where the risks exists. Before scientific proofs of any treatment, they must not be used by people. Moreover, alternative medicine have to be controlled and limited by the government organisations. The government must emphasis their attention on a complementary medicine.

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Essay 3
Over the past few decades, there has been a growing dissatisfaction with standard medical care relating to the increase of problems relating to addiction to various antidepressant drugs or development of drug resistance. Indicators suggest that complementary medicine is becoming an alternative to orthodox medicine. While complementary medicine is becoming very popular, it is also facing an increasing criticism from scientists and the medical establishments. However, while it can be claimed that complementary medicine is worthless and perhaps unsafe, it can also be argued that it has a role to play in modern society. A BBC survey claims that the number of people using complementary and alternative medicines has doubled over the past six years. Some people declare that this kind of medicine has given convincing results. Nevertheless, Ernst (2004) showed taking the example of spinal manipulation, that it has not been proven that spinal manipulation has a superior effect. Moreover, he claims that it has world adverse effects and that it is actually twice as expensive as standard care. According to some researchers, natural medicines rely on the placebo effect, which means the patients belief that they are being cured (BBC, 1999). A report of the Academie du Medicine in Paris argues that homeopath is based on prejudices that were devoid of any foundation (Ernst, 2004). More and more scientists claim that anecdotes of successful treatments cannot be considered as serious evidence of the efficiency of complementary or alternative medicines. Moreover, not only is the positive effect of complementary medicine still unclear but it appears that this type of medicine can also be unsafe: Just because its natural doesnt mean its unsafe says Dr Moncklon (BBC, 1999). One of the main problems is that most of these natural medicines have not been tested. Another one is that because these products are usually available without prescription, people tend to treat themselves with no supervision. However, an increasing number of people rely on complementary medicine and some General Practitioners refer their patients to alternative therapists. It can be argued that this kind of medical care cannot be ignored. The fact that the placebo effect exists does not make these medicines worthless. The reasons why people use complementary medicine seem very personal. They range from curiosity to the roles that it is less expensive than conventional medicine (fig 7). Natural products, meditation, yoga or diets are all complementary medicines (fig 7) and it can be argued that they can be cured as treatments to cure diseases but also as ways to relax and prevent illness (BBC, 1999). Nowadays people live hectic lives and more and more of them turn to meditation and try to take into account their emotions. In addition, according to the BBC (1999), standard and complementary medicines can be used together. As any orthodox medicines, alternative ones must bed properly. To counter the growing criticism of scientists, practitioners of complementary medicine have started to conduct research. They have used clinical trials successfully to demonstrate that acupuncture, for example, can reduce nausea after operations or that homeopathy can help control controlling hay fever (BBC, 1999). The fact that many of these practise and products have been used and praised by ancient societies should be taken into account when judging their utility. The increasing number of people who claim that they have been cured by complementary medicines should bear testimony to its efficiency. As to whether its positive effects rely on the placebo effect is unclear, what is really at stake in this debate is the possible existence of unknown side effects. As complementary medicine could have the potential to become a serious alternative to conventional medicine, further research should be undertaken and its use on any medicine should be controlled.

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Task 2 Choose a paragraph that has been poorly written or is not academic in style and re-write it. When you have finished, swap with a partner and discuss each others improvements. Task 3 Look at one of the texts which was part of the reading pack of the timed essay. Write a summary of the text. Remember the golden rules of summary writing. Reference Box Summaries Summaries should be: Concise only include the important information (not too many examples and no repetition of the same information) Accurate what you write should be a true representation of the authors main points Objective You should not add your own opinions in a summary In your own words - You should NOT simply copy out chunks from the original text but paraphrase Task 4 Exchange your summary with another student when you have both finished and give each other feedback.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 7 Lesson 2
Task 1 In small groups discuss together whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: It is not possible to excel in your career unless you work long hours Flexi-time should be possible in all jobs Paternity cover should be longer than two weeks Big bosses are justified in receiving huge bonuses

Task 2 Brainstorming or asking yourself wh questions are all good ways of thinking about a topic you are going to write about in the initial stages of planning. Practise using ONE of these techniques in order to answer the statement: Most people have such hectic daily schedules that they do not have enough time to enjoy life fully. Share your ideas with another student. Task 3 You are going to read about work-life balance 11, a topic that has become very common in recent years. What does work-life balance mean to you? First reading Read the following text quickly and mark which section you would find the following information: - decision to accept a particular job affected by flexibility - women work fewer hours per week - differences between industries in offering flexible working hours - years the survey was carried out - alteration to working hours requests

Adapted from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32153/12p151-fourth-work-life-balance-employee-survey.pdf

11

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Work-life balance survey

Section 1 The Department for Education and Employment carried out the first Work-Life Balance Survey (WLB1) in 2000. It was used to assess how far employers operated work-life balance practices and whether employees felt that existing practices met their needs. The first survey was followed up in 2003 by a second survey of employees (WLB2) and by a third in early 2006. The fourth Work-Life Balance Survey (WLB4) was carried out in early 2011. It benchmarks key policy changes since the 2006 survey including the Work and Families Act 2006, that is the extension of the right to request flexible working to parents of children under the age of 17 (2009) and to co-resident carers (2007). Section 2 Employees were asked to report the usual number of hours they worked per week in their main paid job, excluding meal times, overtime and any on call working. On average, employees worked 34 hours in a usual working week. Seventy-four per cent of employees usually worked 30 hours or more per week, with six per cent working over 48 hours. Twenty-six per cent of employees worked less than 30 hours per week. There were a number of notable differences in the number of hours worked between particular groups of employees. Unsurprisingly, working less than 30 hours per week was more common among women (40 per cent), but also among those aged under 25 (39 per cent) and those aged 60 or over (40 per cent), those without managerial responsibilities (33 per cent) and those in routine/manual/intermediate occupations (36 - 37 per cent). Working more than 48 hours per week was more common among men (ten per cent), those with higher qualifications (15 per cent among those with a postgraduate degree), those with higher incomes (24 per cent of those with an income of 40k or higher), those working in the private sector (seven per cent) and those in male dominated workplaces (ten per cent). At the same time increasing numbers of women with young children are in work. In two-thirds of families both parents now work outside the home, up from under a half in the 1980s. A growing number of parents now work "atypical" hours, with 14% of mothers and 17% of fathers working after 8.30pm several times a week, according to a national survey of parents by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The elderly population is rising and this means that greater numbers of workers have additional caring responsibilities. One in eight adults in Britain look after or provide some regular care to a sick or elderly person. People also travel further to get to work, and journeys times for many have increased significantly. All of these factors add to the pressure on workers produced by juggling the demands of home and work and trying to fit more and more into the day. Section 3 The majority of employees (75 per cent) were aware of the right to request flexible working, with awareness, unsurprisingly, being more common among parents (79 per cent). Awareness was also higher among those in managerial/professional occupations (85 per cent) with particularly low awareness among those in routine or manual occupations (64 per cent). Part-time working was the most commonly available form of flexible working (reported by 80 per cent of employees), followed by temporarily reduced hours (56 per cent) and flexitime (48 per cent). The availability of many forms of flexible working was most commonly reported by women, those with higher qualifications, those in managerial/professional occupations, public sector employees, trade union members or those whose pay and conditions were agreed between the employer and a union. There were notable differences by industry. Employees in public administration, education and health and those within banking, insurance, professional and support services most commonly reported the availability of flexible working. The reverse was true for those in manufacturing and construction.

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The availability of flexible working was more likely to be reported among those employees in workplaces where there was a relatively equal gender split or the employees were mostly women. Section 4 Flexitime, working from home and part-time working were the forms of flexible working most commonly taken up by employees (taken up by 49 per cent, 44 percent and 40 per cent of those where it was available to them, respectively). The take up of many forms of flexible working was more common among women, parents, those with higher qualifications, those in the public sector and trade union members. However, the patterns of take up for part-time working, reduced working hours and job share were somewhat different in some respects, such as being more likely among those in routine or manual occupations and employees who are not trade union members. Less than a quarter of employees (22 per cent) had requested a change to their working arrangement in the last two years, most commonly a change to when they work, including number of days (35 per cent) or a reduction in hours (23 per cent). Women, parents and carers were most likely to have made a request (with 28, 27 and 30 per cent doing so, respectively). In the majority of cases, the request was accepted (79 per cent) and the outcome communicated face to face (76 per cent). Those who had not requested a change to their working arrangement typically had not done so for personal reasons, such as being happy with their current arrangement (84 per cent). However, there was a proportion (15 per cent) who had not done so due to reasons related to the business/employer, which may be real or perceived. Section 5 The majority of employees were satisfied with their current working arrangements (85 per cent, with 37 per cent very satisfied). High levels of satisfaction were more common amongst those working part-time (45 per cent very satisfied) and those with other flexible working arrangements (46 per cent of part-time, flexible employees and 40 per cent of full-time, flexible employees were very satisfied). The availability of flexible working was important or very important for 41 per cent of employees when they made their decision to work for their current employer. When asked about the importance to them now (at the time of the interview), 57 per cent of employees reported that the availability of flexible working was very or quite important to them now. Flexible working was, both when taking the job and at the time of the survey interview, more important to women, employees who were parents and those with caring responsibilities. Among these groups, 32-33 per cent thought that the availability of flexible working was very important when they made their decision to work for their employer and 40-42 per cent thought it was very important at the time of the interview. It was also most important to those actually working part-time or having some other flexible working arrangement at the time of the interview. The gender differences in the importance of flexible working were significant across all employees, among parent employees and among those with caring responsibilities. There were also significant differences by industry. The availability of flexible working was least important to those in the manufacturing and construction industries

Task 4 Second reading Now read through the text again and this time give each of the five sections a heading. When you have finished check with the original headings after the vocabulary exercise below were they similar to yours

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Task 5 Vocabulary work from the text For each of the word combinations below that appear in the text you have just read, do the following: - match each word on the left with one on the right to make a collocation (the sections are in brackets) - find the collocation in the essay and check your choices - write a sentence of your own using each collocation 1. carried (1) 2. manual (3) 3. high (5) 4. job (4) 5. private (2) 6. national (2) 7. take (4) 8. gender (5) 9. trade (4) 10. working (4) levels sector share up differences out union arrangements occupations survey

Original headings for the text : Working hours Take up of flexible working Background Importance of flexible working Availability of flexible working

Week 7 Lesson 3 Individual tutorials on your academic essays. Use this time in class to work further on your academic subject essay, using the feedback your teacher has given you.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 8 Lesson 1
Task 1 To what extent do the benefits of tourism in developing countries outweigh the costs? You are going to look at two timed essays from previous students who answered the above question. Before you read, discuss together the common problems that may prevent you from doing well in a timed writing. Check the reference box and discuss how these problems can be avoided. Reference Box Timed Writing Common problems: - the thesis statement is unclear - the essay does not directly answer the question - the essay is poorly organised and lacks linking words which makes it difficult for the reader to follow - the quotations are wrongly sourced - not enough quotations are used - sources have been plagiarised Referring to sources in timed writings Where to find the original source Look at the beginning and end of each text to find the original source. If the website indicates the year the article was published, include this. Otherwise simply write the website How to refer to a website source A large number of the sources will be taken from the internet. There is no need to list the entire web address. Instead list the home page. In an extended piece of writing you would write the address in full in your bibliography but in the timed writing, this is not necessary. e.g. Text 2 would be sourced as: www.bbc.co.uk NOT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/tourism

Refer back to p 83 and make sure you remember how to cite each of the texts if you were going to use them as a source in your timed writing.

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Task 2 Read the first essay and underline the main ideas (Please note the students who wrote the essays below did not have texts 7, 8 and 9 when they did the essay). Do you think it is a successful timed writing? Why / Why not? Week 8 timed writing example I To what extent do the benefits of tourism in developing countries outweigh the costs? International tourism, which is one of the largest industries throughout the world, has grown in a dramatic way in the last forty years (Text 1). It is often argued that tourism can make one country richer through taxation and costs incurred when travelling, but others believe that tourism in developing countries is bad because it causes environmental problems, crime, etc. This essay is will argue that for developing countries, tourism has more benefits than negative aspects. It is believed that finance in developing countries is one of the most important issues which prevents developing countries from developing. In other words, finding ways for a country to increase its wealth is a factor which influences several industries, such as the heavy goods industry, exports and the tourism industry. So, it can be easily found that tourism is one key element that developing countries depend on Tourism is one important element for developing countries and developing countries become stronger in the tourism area. 42% of the 697 million tourists abroad visited developing countries in 2000 compared with, only 20.8% in 1973. Although the financial value of each passenger to developing countries is much lower than the value per visitor to the OECD or EU countries, but they still benefit a lot (Pro-Poor Tourism Info sheets, 2004). This suggests that developing countries are sharing more of the tourism market than before, because developing countries can earn more from this kind of industry. Although tourism benefits developing countries a lot, some problems still occur. Problems include the working environment. Workers in the tourism industry usually have poor working conditions, long working hours, low pay and virtually no time off. In some areas, the cost of living is higher than the workers wages. Average salaries are about four dollars a day while renting a room or a flat can cost 50$ per month (www, tourismconcern.org.uk). But it is firmly believed that tourism is still a solution to these problems. At least, tourism wont make the situation of workers worse. The number of visitors travelling to Asia for sex with children has risen 100

sharply in the past few years. ECPAT claims that as a result of this crisis, more children become poor (BBC, 20 August 2001). This problem is not affected by tourism. Children become poor and look for money in this way. Tourism is a solution which makes them better but not in that way. To sum up, although the tourism industry has brought us some problems, quite low pay to tourism workers that cant match the basic living, very long working hours and nearly no holiday all through the year but tourism is still acting as a main role of national finance for developing countries, a dramatic rise during the past forty years, this increase can be very important and can affect the income of the developing countries. The best solution to these problems is continuing to develop tourism in developing countries. Task 3 Look again at the essay and comment on each of the following: Essay features: - the thesis statement - the organisation of argument and counter argument - the references to sources and the use of sources Linguistic features: - repetition of words - use of informal words - use of although and but Task 4 How can the essay be improved? Now do the following: Add to the thesis statement Add a reference to paragraph 2 Paragraphs 2 and 3 use the words developing / developing countries nine times! Re-write so that the words are substituted by a pronoun or another word or phrase. Do the same with the words international passenger / passenger in paragraph 3 Correct the reference error in paragraph 3

Below is one sample of how you could improve the timed writing: It is believed that lack of capital in developing countries is one of the most important issues which prevents such countries from progressing. In other words, finding ways for a country to increase its wealth is a factor which influences several industries, such as the heavy goods industry, exports and the tourism industry. So, it can be easily found that tourism is one key element that less developed nations depend on to significantly increase their income (www.debatabase.org). Thus, tourism is clearly an important area for poorer countries to strengthen. Evidence of this can be seen by the fact that 42% of the 697 101

million tourists abroad visited developing countries in 2000 compared with, only 20.8% in 1973. Although the financial value of each passenger to developing countries is much lower than the value per visitor to OECD or EU countries, they still benefit significantly from tourism (Pro-Poor Tourism Partnership, 2004). This suggests that developing countries are sharing more of the tourism market than before, because they can earn more from this kind of industry.

Task 5 Now do the same with timed writing II. First read for general impressions and then go back and comment on the essay and linguistic features. Week 8 timed writing example II To what extent do the benefits of tourism in developing countries outweigh the costs? Due to globalisation, it has become easier and more convenient to go to other countries. Also, as the number of travellers has increased, it has become beneficial for the countries economic growth. However, these arguments tend to be more appropriate for developed countries. The fact is that developing countries experience many difficulties as a result of tourism. Although some assert that tourism has a positive effect on developing countries, it will be argued here that tourism brings mainly financial problems, cultural devastation and poor working environments. Some say that the money used for attractions can be supplemented by tourist consumption (www.debatabase.org). However, this only refers to rich countries. Usually, in poor countries, they have low taxes and products are not that expensive, so the amount of money invested in tourist attractions does not lead to real financial benefits (ibid). It is said that The spending is concentrated in resorts rather than spread across the country, or..providing for basic needs (ibid). The reality is that a huge amount of money is needed to preserve facilities or to attract tourists and this is where the money goes. One of the main purposes for touring other countries is to go to historic or famous places. However, by opening ones country to others, cultural damage can follow. There are other more sordid reasons for visiting developing countries which provide tourists with anonymity and lax laws. For example, the BBC News (2000) reported that, the number of tourists travelling to Asia for sex with children has risen sharply..spurred by the effects of the economic crisis and lax law enforcement. ECPAT (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism) says that due to an economic crisis, more children were faced with poverty and 102

this resulted in a falling price for child sex (ibid). This has, in turn, led to a number of foreign paedophiles going to sex tourism destinations (ibid). Although a lot of people prefer to work in areas where tourism is prevalent, the working conditions are poor in pretty much all resorts. For example, in Mexico, it is said that working conditions for workers in the tourism industry are poor and include long working hours worsened by the time it takes to commute.. (Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops). Also, the wages are so low that the workers cannot afford to buy a residence near their work (ibid). Moreover, the employment contracts are temporary and workers are often afraid they will not have their contracts renewed or have their contracts terminated (ibid). In conclusion, although there are advantages, such as economic growth, this seems to be more relevant for rich countries. In developing countries, money spent on attractions brings about cultural devastation and poor working conditions rather than massive financial gain. As it has become easier to travel, more people are eager to visit other places. Therefore, money should be distributed not only back into the tourist industry but to the basic needs of a country. Also, there should be more effort made to prevent the seedier side of tourism, such as the sex trade and poor working conditions. How does essay II compare with essay I? Comment on the same features: Essay features Comment on the following: - the thesis statement - the organisation of argument and counter argument - the references to sources and the use of sources Linguistic features Comment on the following: - use of informal words / repetition - linking words

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 8 Lesson 2
Editing, or proof-reading, means revising your written draft in order to identify mistakes (spelling, grammar, style) and correct them. There are various levels at which you can do this, for instance:

For spelling make sure you use the spellchecker in your word processor. But be careful because you still have to make a choice about which spelling is the correct one. (for example, 'he dose not' is a very common mistake!) For grammar you need to be careful with: subject - verb agreement (e.g. 'he goes', not 'he go') verb tenses mass and count nouns e.g. 'he studies Economics', but 'he is taking an Economics course' linking words to show the relationship between ideas e.g. 'so', 'however', 'although'

For style you need to be careful with: contracted forms e.g. 'he isn't' becomes 'he is not' informal words and expressions e.g. 'lots of' can become 'many, a number of'

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Task 1 Find the mistakes in this essay and correct them.

SE Ltd: Introduction SE Ltd is a imaginary Company for this case study. The aim of this case study is to gain experience in design a new system for a business. In this project, we need to analyze the performance of the company in terms of objectives, company strategy, financial performance and other informations to design effective system in a business. The targets of this project are to reduce, lead time and indirect cost, determine whether to operate as single or two separate companies and make immediate recommendation to the Game division. The information required to evaluate a company's performance include the structure of the organisation, financial reports, the product range, markets, competitors, etc. The other additional information source includes meeting to heads of department and other personnel. Sometimes, discussion with the workers on the shop floor is also essential to understand the day-to-day running of the company.

Extending your academic vocabulary In this session, you are going to try and learn some academic vocabulary in context. When trying to learn vocabulary, you cannot try and just memorise it, as a word or a list of words. You need to study the language so that you fully understand its meaning.

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In your independent study time, log onto the website www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab It gives you the following helpful advice: You need to study the academic words carefully. For example: "The plans include planting trees and hedges to protect crops from grazing animals and wind erosion." Use the context to try to get an idea of the meaning: It's necessary to protect crops from erosion, so erosion has a negative meaning. consider other words it is used with erosion is used in the phrase wind erosion consider the grammar of the word erosion is used in the singular, with no article, so erosion is an uncountable noun

This is an excellent site which helps you to learn the most commonly used academic vocabulary. It uses the standard academic word lists, arranged in sublists . N.B. Do not download the 10 lists and learn them off by heart. This is not a good way to learn vocabulary. Use the website and these worksheets to practise the same words in as many different ways as you can. Once you are familiar with how the site works, you will be able to make up your own study exercises. Academic word list (AWL) Sub-list 1 gives you the most frequently used academic vocabulary, going down in frequency to sub-list 10. Worksheet 1 Use these instructions to help you in your independent study with academic vocabulary recognition and use.

1. Click on word lists to download sub-list 1 to look at the kind of words which will come up in the texts you will practise on 2. When you are ready to try practising these words in a text, click on AWL Highlighter 3. Go to texts & click on a text of your choice at sub-list level 1 4. Look at the words in bold and make sure you know what these words mean when used in an academic context - e.g. field means a piece of land in everyday language but means a particular area of study in academic 106

vocabulary. Try and understand the meaning of the words first from their context. If necessary, use a dictionary. 5. Select and copy the text once you are confident with the academic words in bold 6. Go to Gapmaker 7. Paste in your text 8. Select sub-list level 1 and press submit 9. Now put in the missing words and check with the original You can do this with all the texts and at all the levels. The key to success is frequent practice.

Tip: Once you are confident with working with the highlighter and gap-fill options, hit the button to use all 10 sub-lists to practise as many academic words as you can in any text Task 2 Below is a typical example of how you would use the website, following the instructions above. Read the text 12 and familiarise yourself with the language and then try and fill in the gaps without referring back to your original copy.

Health
In this article general academic words, from the Academic Word List, are highlighted in bold. It is important that you understand these words and can use them. Study the words in bold carefully. Use them in your writing to help you remember them.

The twentieth century saw significant advances in medical knowledge. At the end of the nineteenth century life expectancy was comparatively short for people in Britain and many children did not survive to adulthood. By the end of the twentieth century, however, perinatal mortality was low and many people anticipated living beyond their three score years and ten. This rapid progress occurred as a result of a series of microbiological and technological breakthroughs, along with a political focus on social welfare and public health. Today, however, we face new threats. Although it had been assumed that infectious diseases would be eliminated, new strains of TB and malaria have recently emerged and are fast establishing themselves. The viral infection, Aids, has reached epidemic proportions in some countries. The incidence of heart disease is increasing, along with
12

Source - www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab

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other so-called self-inflicted illnesses. Superbugs, resistant to our range of antibiotics, continue to evolve. Predictions for the twenty-first century suggest that we will see the development of our understanding of the role of genes in the maintenance of good health. Many diseases will be prevented as screening for susceptibility allows defective embryos to be identified. Those who do get ill, will receive drugs tailored to suit their individual needs and thus more effective in action. Will there also be surprises awaiting us as the world population ages?

Task 2 Use the space below to practise a few of these words in sentences in pairs, to check that you are using them in an academic context. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Task 3 Fill in the gaps below without referring back to the text. Health The twentieth century saw advances in knowledge. At the end of the nineteenth century life expectancy was comparatively short for people in Britain and many children did not to . By the end of the twentieth living as a result of a

century, however, perinatal mortality was low and many people beyond their three score years and ten. This rapid progress of microbiological and political on social

breakthroughs, along with a and public health. that infectious

Today, however, we face new threats. Although it had been diseases would be and are fast has reached epidemic

, new strains of TB and malaria have recently themselves. The viral infection, in some countries. The , of heart 108

disease is increasing, along with other Superbugs, resistant to our

- "self-inflicted" illnesses. .

of antibiotics, continue to

for the twenty-first century suggest that we will see the development of our understanding of the of genes in the of good health. Many diseases will be prevented as screening for susceptibility allows defective embryos to be . Those who do get ill, will receive drugs tailored to suit their needs and thus more effective in action. Will there also be surprises awaiting us as the world population ages?

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies

A3 Week 8 Lesson 3
A synthesis13 is a combination, usually a shortened version, of several texts made into one. It contains the important points in the text and is written in your own words. This is a very important skill you need when handling all the facts and ideas you have gathered from your reading and research. To make a synthesis you need to find suitable sources, and then to select the relevant parts in those sources. You will then use your paraphrase and summary skills to write the information in your own words. The information from all the sources has to fit together into one continuous text. The following stages may be useful: 1. Find texts that are suitable for your assignment. 2. Read and understand the texts. 3. Find the relevant ideas in the texts. Mark them in some way - write them down, take notes, underline them or highlight them. 4. Make sure you identify the meaning relationships between the words/ideas across texts - use colours or numbers. 5. Read what you have marked very carefully. 6. Organise the information you have. You could give all similar ideas in different texts the same number or letter or colour. 7. Transfer all the information onto one piece of paper. Write down all similar information together. 8. Paraphrase and summarise as necessary. 9. Check your notes with your original texts for accuracy and relevance. 10. Combine your notes into one continuous text. 11. Check your work. a. Make sure your purpose is clear b. Make sure the language is correct c. Make sure the style is your own

Task 1 Read the following two articles and, in a paragraph of not more than 100 words, sum up the discovery described in the two articles, saying what is known and what is still not known about the creature. To do this you will need to synthesise ideas and facts from different sources.

13

notes, exercises and articles adapted from www.uefap.com

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The biggest flying monster in the world

The largest known creature ever to have flown, an extinct reptile with an estimated wingspan of 51ft, has been discovered by fossil hunters in west Texas. The creature, which lived more than 60 million years ago, had twice the wingspan of the biggest previously known pterodactyl, or winged reptile, and nearly six times the wingspan of the condor, the largest bird now alive. The estimated size of the creature is derived from calculations based on the size of many fragmentary, and some complete bones found in excavations during the past three years at Big Bend national park in Brewster County, Texas. Announcement of the discovery, in the present issue of Science, is expected to rekindle an old debate among palaeontologists over whether flying reptiles flapped their featherless, leathery wings or merely climbed on to high perches and leapt into the air currents to soar like gliders. One scientist familiar with the discovery said that the mammoth size of the newly found creature made improbable the theory that it was able to rise into the air under wingpower alone. He noted, however, that the lack of a reliable estimate of the reptiles weight virtually precluded any calculation of its aerodynamic properties. The fossils were found by Mr Douglas Lawson, a graduate student at the University of California, who began searching in the Big Bend area while a student at Texas University. His continuing explorations and study of the fossils are being carried out under the auspices of the universitys vertebrate palaeontology laboratory. Although the reptile clearly represents a new species, it has not yet been given a formal scientific name. There are many known species of flying reptiles. Scientists generally refer to all as pterosaurs, but the popular name pterodactyl is also considered correct. All are extinct. Whats so extraordinary about this thing is its tremendous size, Dr Wann Langston, director of the vertebrate palaeontology laboratory, said. There has never been anything like this before. In his report Mr Lawson says he has discovered the partial skeletons of three of the large pterosaurs, including the remains of four wings, a neck, the hind legs (forelimbs with claws are frequently part of the wing structure), and jaws, which were toothless. Unlike most previously known pterosaurs, the Big Bend creature was found in nonmarine sediments, suggesting that its habitat was away from oceans. Most pterosaurs are considered to have been fish eaters, scooping up their prey while gliding over the waves. The Big Bend fossils were found in fresh-water sediments far from the oceans of that time. In his report Mr Lawson writes that the reptiles unusually long neck suggests it may have been a carrion-eater, feeding on dead dinosaurs, much as the condors and other vultures of today consume dead animals.

Monster could not flap wings

The extinct reptile with an estimated wingspan of 51ft, found by fossil hunters in western Texas, would have been a warm-blooded creature, with a furry coat like that of a mammal, according to Mr Adrian Desmond, of Harvard University museum of comparative zoology. Mr Desmond, who is in England writing a book about dinosaurs and pterosaurs, said yesterday that the creature was much larger than any pterosaur - the popular name of which is pterodactyl - found before. The one found in 1970 in Soviet Kazakhstan was furry. It is wrong to think that the pterodactyl had featherless, leathery wings, because they were warm-blooded creatures, and the one found in Russia had furry wings, and fur on its fingers, he said. In that, they were like mammals, although they are called reptiles.

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The size of the creature found in the Big Bend national park in Brewster County, Texas, was derived from calculations based on the size of many fragmentary, and some complete bones, excavated over the past three years. Mr Desmond said that it would not have flapped its wings, because they would be too heavy for the creature to cope with if flapped. It would simply have raised them and floated into the air when it wished to fly. The find is much larger than anything discovered before. The largest one found before the Texas excavation had a wingspan of 23ft, and the latest find is extraordinary because it was never thought that there could be anything bigger. It is very fascinating indeed.

Task 2 Now find 3 short texts with a common theme or subject and apply the principles Of synthesis you have just practised to these texts to write an overview of the main points covered.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English for Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 9 Lesson 1
How good are your reading skills now? Next time you read an academic text, answer these questions. Practice now with the texts on page 132. Can you skim a text for the main ideas in the topic sentences of the paragraphs? Can you scan a text to find specific information quickly? Can you pick out the main arguments, and the evidence used to support them? Can you identify the counter arguments? Can you evaluate the arguments and decide if they are sound? Can you deal with the unfamiliar vocabulary, decide which words are key to the text and guess their meaning? Can you identify who the intended audience of this text is? How do you know this? Can you recognize the purpose of the author in writing it? Can you identify any words or phrases which give the text cohesion? Can you rate the effectiveness of the text in that you, the reader, could follow the ideas and be persuaded by them?

If you can do all of these things with this text by the end of the lesson, you are certainly a skilled and critical reader now.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3

Week 9 Lesson 2
Task 1 Fast writing warm up Working individually, spend 3 minutes writing in the box below to express your opinion on this topic. Is the internet a malign influence on society?

Task 2 Compare your writing with your partners. Do you agree? Look at the text below- does it mention any arguments you discussed? The internet plays a significant role not only in social and political life, acting as a tool for spreading information and forming peoples mentality, but also in the everyday life of individuals as a source of entertainment. It affects our minds and plays a role in shaping social changes. Although the internet is of crucial importance in spreading information around the globe in todays modern society, it may be harmful as it shows more and more sex and violence, allows free access to and for young people and takes away the biggest part of our spare time.

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Task 3 Why are arguments and counter-arguments so important in academic writing? Examine the arguments below. Discuss with a partner how you could link the arguments and counter-arguments together in a text. Which connecting words would be useful here?

Arguments Arg. 1) Nowadays many people spend the biggest part of their free time playing on the internet. According to the statistics, the average child aged 12-17 uses the internet 17 hours per week. Thats how using the internet can reduce the quality of real life by narrowing peoples outlook, limiting the variety of free time activities, affecting family relations by reducing conversation, and even having an impact on health by discouraging exercise.

Counter-arguments Counter-Arg. 1) People are conscious creatures and they can choose the way to spend their free time that they prefer. Parents should be blamed for the habits of their children, but not the internet. The life style of the individual determines the role of the inernet in his or her free time, but not vice versa. In any case, young people in many countries are now spending less time blindly watching television than they did ten years ago, preferring to play interactive games on the internet instead. Counter Arg. 2) People have the right to be informed about the world they live in and its problems. This kind of information is the first step towards solving them. Besides, the choices available through the world wide web perfectly serve as a source of entertainment and positive emotions, helping people to take their mind off their troubles.

Arg. 2) Depression is a well-known psychological problem of modern society. The popularity of internet surfing is among the reasons for this phenomenon. Violence, aggression, crimes and wars are now easily accessible through the daily news as well as in movies, showing dark pictures that encourage psychological tension, pessimism and negative emotions.

Complete the following sentence with your own argument Although many have argued that the internet is actually beneficial .. . .

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Task 4 Working individually, spend 10 minutes making notes about the following questions to revise what we have covered in the course. Prepare to explain your key points to your partner. 1. What makes a good introduction? 2. What is a thesis statement? 3. How can your thesis statement indicate the organisation of your essay? 4. What makes a good paragraph? 5. How can you refute a counter- argument? 6. What is plagiarism and how can you avoid it? 7. When might you use a direct quotation? 8. How do your organise a bibliography? 9. What makes a good conclusion? 10. What makes the best balance for a 2000 word academic essay in terms of proportion of introduction: main body: conclusion? 10:80:10? 15:70:15? 20:60:20? Or something else? Task 5 Working in a group of three, pool your ideas and make a list of the key points of academic essay writing. Task 6 The two timed essays you have to write in lesson time are short exam type essays to prepare you for the essay writing task in the Week 10 exam. Compare and contrast a short academic essay of this type with your academic unit assignment essays. How are they the same and how are they different?

Extra practice: linking arguments Complete the following sentence beginnings logically. Although there is a lot of violence shown on the internet in both films and factual reports,

Despite the fact that many films portray violence, there are still......

While it needs to be acknowledged that using the internet for long periods can limit childrens social lives, some of the sites available...

Though many hours are spent surfing the net, this has in fact

While some people may experience depression through viewing a lot of violence and tragic events through their computers and tablets... 116

School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies A3 Week 9 Lesson 3 You will have individual tutorials for general feedback on your progress over the course. Bring your completed homework folder to this session While you are getting feedback, as a class you need to complete the following task practising synthesis in pairs. Find a minimum of six on-line resources on one of the following subjects: How do anti-social elements affect the smooth existence of a society? Should women who commit murder be treated more leniently than men who commit the same crime? Explain your view. A comparison of Cezannes and Pollocks contribution to Modernism with reference to their influence on other artists. How have marketing strategies changed over the last ten years? Has the EU become an outdated union and if so, how should it adapt to the 21st century? Is the controversy surrounding hip hop as a media text justified?

Assess the sources, decide if they are reliable or not and select a minimum of three. From the ones you decide are useful, make notes of what parts of them you could use and how they would fit in with the other sources.

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Supplementary Grammar Worksheets

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies

Critical thinking
What is critical thinking? One of the keys to successful study in Academic English will be your ability to think critically. What does critical thinking mean to you and why is it important? Write some ideas down in the box below

Cottrell (2005) describes critical thinking as including: Identifying other peoples positions / arguments Evaluating the evidence for alternative points of view Weighing up opposing arguments and evidence fairly Being able to read between the lines and identifying false or unfair assumptions Recognising techniques used to make certain positions more appealing than others, such as false logic and persuasive devices Drawing conclusions about whether arguments are valid and justifiable, based on good evidence and sensible assumptions Presenting a point of view in a structured, clear, well-reasoned way that convinces others

Some people assume that criticism means making negative comments. However critical evaluation means identifying positive as well as negative aspects. It can seem strange for students who know little about their subject, to be asked to critique works by those who are clearly more experienced. In English-speaking universities, however, researchers and lecturers expect students to question and challenge even published material. Repeating exact words used by an expert is not considered acceptable even though in many cultures, this is seen as a way of showing respect to a known expert. It is also important to remember that you can find an argument good or effective even if you do not agree with it.

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Critical thinking involves precision and accuracy, which in turn, requires good attention to detail and practice. Complete the self-evaluation form below to see where you could improve your critical thinking skills. Self-evaluation For each of the following statements, rate your responses from 0-4: 4 = strongly agree 3 = agree 2 = agree to some extent 1 = disagree 0 = strongly disagree Rating 4-0 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. I feel comfortable pointing out potential weaknesses in the work of experts I can remain focused on the exact requirements of an activity I know the different meanings of the word argument in critical thinking I can analyse the structure of an argument I can offer criticism without feeling this makes me a bad person I know what is meant by a line of reasoning I am aware of how my current beliefs might prejudice fair consideration of an issue I am patient in identifying the line of reasoning in an argument I am good at recognising the signals used to indicate stages in an argument I find it easy to separate key points from other material I am very patient in going over facts in order to reach an accurate view I am good at identifying unfair techniques used to persuade readers I am good at reading between the lines I find it easy to evaluate the evidence to support a point of view I usually pay attention to small details I find it easy to weigh up different points of view fairly If I am not sure about something, I will research to find out more I can present my own arguments clearly I understand how to structure an argument I can tell descriptive writing from analytical writing I can spot inconsistencies in an argument easily I am good at identifying patterns I am aware of how my own up-bringing might prejudice fair consideration of an issue I know how to evaluate source materials I understand why ambiguous language is often used in research papers Score out of 100
Taken from Cottrell (2005) Critical Thinking Skills

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Interpreting your score Going through the questionnaire may have raised some questions about what you know or do not know about critical thinking. The lower the score, the more likely you are to need to develop your critical thinking skills. A score over 75 suggests you are very confident about your critical thinking ability. It is worth checking this against objective feedback such as from teachers or fellow students. If your score is less than 100, there is still room for improvement!

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies 1. Working on time adverbials
The following worksheet is from Wyatt,R. (2001:19) Check your vocabulary for English for the IELTS examination London: Peter Collin

Task 1: Use the time clauses in the boxes to complete the sentences. Pay particular attention to the words that come before or after the time clause. 1. One action or situation occurring before another action or situation prior to previously earlier formerly precede by the time 1. _________ the advent of the Industrial Revolution, pollution was virtually unheard of. 2. _____ the army had restored order, the city had been almost completely devastated. 3. ______ known as Burma, the republic of Myanmar is undergoing a slow and painful political transformation. 4. A sudden drop in temperature will usually _________ a blizzard. 5. It was my first trip on an aeroplane. __________ I'd always gone by train. 6. The Prime Minister made a speech praising charity organisations working in Mozambique. ____ ~ ________ that day he had promised massive economic aid to stricken areas. 2 One action or situation occurring at the same time as another action while/as/just as during/throughout at that very moment in the meantime/meanwhile
1. _________________ the minister was making his speech, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. 2. _________________________ the speech they jeered and shouted slogans. 3. The minister continued speaking __________________ the police were ordered onto the streets. 4. He finished the speech with a word of praise for the police. ________________ the sun came out and shone down on the assembled crowd of happy supporters

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3 One action or situation occurring after another action or situation. afterwards as soon as /once/the minute that following

1. ------------------------------ the earthquake, emergency organisations around the world swung into action. 2. ________ the stock market collapsed, there was panic buying on an unprecedented scale.

3. The Klondike gold rush lasted from 1896 to 1910. ______________ the area became practically deserted overnight. Task 2 . Look at these words and expressions and decide if we usually use them to talk about .. the past the past leading to the present, the present the future. Write a sentence for each one of the time phrases below. for the next few weeks as things stand ever since in medieval times nowadays from now on back in the 1990s over the past six weeks over the coming weeks and months in another five years' time one day in those days a few decades ago lately at this moment in time at the turn of the century in my childhood / youth at this point in history by the end of this year for the foreseeable future for the past few months last century these days from 1996 to 1998 sooner or later . . .. . . .

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. . .. . . .

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies Worksheet 2 Conjunctions Task: Choose a linking expression from the box to put in the sentences below: despite although in addition provided nevertheless in spite of unless moreover however

1. it rained a lot over the weekend, we did manage to have a few trips on our new boat. 2. Jane refused to eat her dinner. her mothers warning that if she didnt she would not be able to watch television before bed. 3. They have reached their sales target for the year. , they have successfully opened a new branch in Bristol. 4. Her father said she could go to the rock concert.she stayed close to her friends at all times. 5. The university would not accept his application. it was accompanied by a valid visa. 6. The company foldedattempts by the employees to try and keep it open. 7. She discovered that she had failed her course . she

decided it was worth retaking it to see if she could pass second time round. 8. She earned a good salary. it was not enough to buy a house in London. 9. She was sacked for incompetence. ., they said she could not work for any of their sister companies either in the future.

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School of Oriental and African Studies International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies English Language and Academic Studies Worksheet 3: Modals Task 1: Fill in the blanks in the chart below: expresses obligation expresses ability expresses expresses need possibility gives advice

must

needs to

may

should

2..

could

4 5.

6.

can

Take care that you learn some of the ways these verbs interact with other parts of the sentence, such as: they are not followed by an infinitive: She may to come this afternoon (x) can cannot be used with know as in If I go to the lecture I can know about the British Education system. (x)

Task 2: Write some sentences below, using these modals. 126

Worksheet 4

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KEY to Grammar Worksheets

Worksheet 1. 1. I had eaten breakfast an hour before I arrived at college.(so now Im starving ). 2. Two choices here. The word before serves to tell you one action happened before the other, so you can simply say I turned off the lights before I left the house. When we want to remind ourselves of the sequence of events though , perhaps here because we are concerned about wasting energy, we might say I was sure I had turned off the lights (action 1) before I left the house (action 2). 3. I hadnt studied English before I came to this class. 4. Same as number 2: I reviewed all my notes before I had a test. (These 2 actions for many students may be very close together!) If the student fails the test, however, they might want to reaffirm that they had definitely done one thing before the other, so they may say: I had reviewed all my notes before I had a test. What happened? They had had a burglary. Whats the difference? A. The actions happened at the same time B. The bomb exploding was the first action

Which of the following sentences would be true for A or B?

The police looked for evidence. B The police were too late. B Two police officers were hurt. A The police didnt know there was a bomb there. A

Worksheet 2 Part 1: 1. Prior to the advent of the Industrial Revolution, pollution was virtually unheard of. 2 By the time the army had restored order, the city had been almost completely devastated. 3. Formerly known as Burma, the republic of Myanmar is undergoing a 128

slow and painful political transformation. 4 A sudden drop in temperature will usually precede a blizzard. 5 It was my first trip on an aeroplane. Previously, I'd always gone by train. 6. The Prime Minister made a speech praising charity organisations working in Mozambique. Earlier ~ or ~ Previously that day he had promised massive economic aid to stricken areas. Part 2: 1. While (if the speech is a long action) or As or Just as the minister was making his speech, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. 2. During or Throughout the speech they jeered and shouted slogans. 3. The minister continued speaking. In the meantime / Meanwhile the police were ordered onto the streets. 4. He finished the speech with a word of praise for the police. At that very moment the sun came out and shone down on the assembled crowd of happy supporters

Part 3: 1 Following the earthquake, emergency organisations around the world swung into action. 2.As soon as / once / the minute that the stock market collapsed, there was panic buying on an unprecedented scale. 3.The Klondike gold rush lasted from 1896 to 1910. Afterwards, the area became practically deserted overnight. Task 2: Check your progress yourself and then ask your teacher to check any of your sentences you are not sure of.

1.Although it rained a lot over the weekend, we did manage to have a few trips on our new boat. 2. Jane refused to eat her dinner despite her mothers warning that if she didnt she would not be able to watch television before bed. 3. They have reached their sales target for the year. In addition, they have successfully opened a new branch in Bristol. 4. Her father said she could go to the rock concert provided she stayed close to her friends at all times. 5. The university would not accept his application unless it was accompanied by a valid visa.

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6. The company folded in spite of attempts by the employees to try and keep it open. 7. She discovered that she had failed her course However, she decided it was worth retaking it to see if she could pass second time round. 8. She earned a good salary. Nevertheless it was not enough to buy a house in London. 9. She was sacked for incompetence. Moreover, they said she could not work for any of their sister companies either in the future. Worksheet 3 expresses obligation must 2 have to expresses ability 1 can could 6 to be able to expresses expresses gives need possibility advice needs to 3 have to may 4 might can should 5 ought

Worksheet 4 3.open-ended 5. a) little b) businesses c) experience/is d) travel broadens e) Paper was f) much advice g) few interests h) war i) Irons were j) behaviour 6. a) little b) much c) many d) few e) little

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Supplementary Texts

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Read the texts about Manet and the Impressionists Make notes of the key points and information Use the vocabulary table of definitions under each text to help you with any new words Complete the a synthesis table with the relevant points gathered from the other texts Discuss any points you find interesting with another student.

Text 1 MANET AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS

Before visiting the exhibition on Manet et le Paris Moderne, it would be helpful to learn a little about the impressionists. Armed with just a bit of knowledge, youll surely feel more familiar with Manet. Speaking with us is the director of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Akiya Takahashi. TextTerue Kawai

Manet has been called the Father of Impressionism. Impressionism was one of the reformist movements that arose during the latter half of the 19th century in France. These works, which in their day engendered more criticism and bewilderment than praise, now enjoy enormous international acclaim, and have even been called the worlds most recognizable art. Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh.... These names are so deeply familiar and their works have touched us all. The first Impressionist exhibition was in 1874. During the following 12 years, eight additional group exhibitions were held. But according to Takahashi, the truth of the matter is that Manets works were not among them even once. Manet realized that his area of interest was divergent from that of the Impressionists. Therefore, he did not participate in the group exhibitions. Id say only about a third of his paintings could actually be considered Impressionist works. A generation older than the Impressionist painters, Manet had already made a name for himself. Moreover, he was persistent in his belief that the Salon de Paris was the venue for struggling with conservative academism.

Despite all of this, why exactly is it that Manet is considered the leading figure that guided the Impressionists? Says Takahashi: It is no mistake that Manet has been called the Father of Impressionism. The reason is, in boldly challenging the barriers erected by the symbolically authoritative Salon, and in shining a light on his own unique presence, neither Manets influence on the young painters, nor the courage he afforded them, was a coincidence. Ahead of his time in his use of technique and sensitivity in bringing reality to the canvas, Manets determination to defy the prevailing system and create new art also resonated with the impressionists. 132

Also, Manets early incorporation of techniques inherent in Japanese art focused the impressionists attention on ukiyo-e woodblock prints. On the other hand, Manets interaction with the impressionists resulted in increased flexibility in the techniques he used in manipulating light. In the summer of 1874, he visited Monet in Argenteuil, and they painted together. From then on, Manets palette became brighter, and with their countless outdoor scenes, his paintings could have been mistaken for those of Monet or Renoir." Manet was perpetually surrounded by painters in the ateliers and cafes of Paris. The likes of Monet, Cezanne, Renoir and Pissarro all swarmed around their charming mentor, who exuded wisdom and good cheer. It was a distinguished line-up of names. At times, Manet could be found exercising his sharp eye for spotting talent in younger painters (Monet, for one); at other times, he gave financial assistance to younger artists in distress. They unerringly relied on him like an older brother. The masters real identity surely shows itself through the young painters who adored him.

In a mere 10 years after creating a sensation with their movement, the curtain descended on the impressionists, and the artists all went their separate ways. So what role did the Impressionists in fact fulfill? The Impressionists started a revolution in the art world. It is no exaggeration to say that this was an event to rival what the French Revolution or the Meiji Restoration represented on the historical stage. Paintings up until that time were packed with images from the Bible, myths, and historical anecdotes. That was considered to be the limit for depth in artwork. In other words, paintings that had been an intellectual and luxurious pursuit were liberated by the Impressionists and made accessible to all. It was definitely a democratization of art. Takahashi closes with these words: Manet set the stage for such a revolution, forging a path all by himself. He was truly the Father of Impressionism a real revolutionary.

Vocabulary Building - 1 In each case choose the incorrect definition of the words taken from the text: divergent persistent inherent exuded distinguished unerringly accessible different fleeting innate emanated illustrious never obscure similar unshakeable natural shared prominent closely available contrary constant rare excluded unknown faithfully open

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Text 2
22 January 2013 Last updated at 16:36

Manet portrait's arrival at Royal Academy delayed by snow

By Tim Masters Entertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News

The Royal Academy in London is opening the biggest ever exhibition of Manet's work in the UK. The Royal Academy's blockbuster Manet exhibition is all set to open this week - but one portrait is absent thanks to the British weather. Manet's The Amazon (1875), showing a woman on horseback, was all set to be flown in from Brazil's Sao Paulo Museum of Arts last week. But the journey was abandoned when snow swept across the UK.The painting is now expected to be in place before the exhibition opens to the public on Saturday.At Tuesday's press preview, curator MaryAnne Stevens admitted the arrival dates of loaned works weren't usually "that tight". In the space where the painting should have been, a Royal Academy sign read: "Due to adverse weather conditions, the arrival of this painting has been delayed."

The exhibition includes The Railway from 1873 More than 50 paintings spanning Edouard Manet's career have been collected from around the world, from both public collections and private owners.They include famous paintings such as Music in the Tuileries Gardens (1862) and The Railway (1873). There are also portraits of Manet's most frequent sitter, his wife Suzanne Leenhoff, and luminaries of the period 134

including Antonin Proust and Emile Zola.In response to demand for advance tickets, the Royal Academy has announced late-night viewings, until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Edouard Manet

Born 1832 in Paris, France Regarded as one of the founders of modern art His radical ideas earned him a reputation as a revolutionary Died 1883

Two Manet paintings had been due to leave on separate flights from Sao Paulo last week having cleared Brazil's customs controls. "Just as we had the go-ahead for the paintings to come, the snow came down," said Ms Stevens. The Artist: Portrait of Marcellin Desboutin (1875) arrived on Monday and had been allowed to "acclimatize for 24 hours" before being hung. Meanwhile, The Amazon - a portrait of Marie Lefebure riding a horse - was said to be "in the air" on its way to London to be installed on Thursday. "We don' t normally have it that tight," said Ms Stevens. "We didn't reckon for the snow. If the snow hadn't been against us we would have been fine." Manet: Portraying Life, a collaboration with the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, sponsored by BNY Mellon, runs from 26 January to 14 April.

Vocabulary Building - 2 In each case choose the incorrect definition of the words taken from the text: abandoned adverse luminaries acclimatize collaboration forsaken favourable eminent people become accustomed rivalry discarded poor enlightened people adjust alliance continued difficult famous people be uncomfortable partnership

Text 3 The Birth of Impressionism: Manet and Monet

By Jesse Bryant Wilder, MA, MAT from Art History For Dummies

Impressionism began to take shape in the 1860s on the canvases of douard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. But the actual birth of Impressionism was probably the summer of 1869, when Monet and Renoir painted views of a swimming resort at La Grenouillre on the Seine. That summer, they learned to catch the transitory moods of nature with quick, suggestive brushstrokes. It was here that the broken-brushstroke style (painting in flecks of colour) became a standard characteristic of Impressionist art. The movement didn't yet have a name that came five years later when a critic attacked one of Monet's early paintings: Impression Sunrise.

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Monet and Renoir pioneered this new art style by borrowing and adapting techniques that Manet had developed a few years earlier. douard Manet: Breaking rules to free the artist The classically trained douard Manet (18321883) straddled Realism and Impressionism. He influenced the Impressionists and was, in turn, influenced by them. In the 1860s, the Impressionists began meeting near Manet's studio at Caf Guerbois. He was the unofficial head of the twice-weekly meetings, which included Monet, Renoir, Degas, Alfred Sisley, mile Zola, and sometimes Paul Czanne, Camille Pissarro, and others. What was the bridge between Realism and Impressionism? It was Manet's new approach to painting, his innovations with colour and brushwork. Earlier artists began painting their canvases with a layer of dark, usually brown, paint and then built layers of paint on top of it. Of course, they had to wait for each layer to dry before adding the next one. Finally, they glazed the painting to give the surface a smooth finish. This process could take weeks or months. Obviously, the models couldn't pose all that time, so painters frequently added layers without the model present. As a Realist, Manet preferred to paint from life in other words, with his model in front of him. He did this by completing his paintings in one sitting. How did he achieve this highspeed efficiency? By not painting in layers and not glazing the final product. That meant he had to choose the perfect colour right off the bat because there were no layers to fall back on. When he made a mistake, he scraped off the paint, down to the bare canvas, and then repainted that area. The Impressionists adopted Manet's alla prima ("at once") technique. Without it, they couldn't have painted fast enough to capture the shifting effects of light. Manet also painted in patches of colour, cutting out in-between values (shades of colour) to make sharper contrasts. So instead of painting a range of progressively lighter or darker shades of orange to indicate how close an orange dress is to a light source, he would simply slap on a patch of bright orange. This technique is called Tachism. (Tache means "spot" or "blot" in French.) The Impressionists modified this technique by breaking up Manet's colour patches into much tinier patches, flecks, and dabs of colour. Claude Monet: From patches to flecks The new style of Claude Monet (18401926) came from a shift in focus. He looked at the colours of objects instead of the objects themselves. He advised another painter: "When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you a tree, a house, a field. . . . Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact colour and shape." He believed that people should always judge based on first impressions, before getting to know something or someone. Becoming familiar with an object or a face falsifies it. You get the gist of what you see a blue car, a red house, or a man's double chin so your eyes don't search out details. You settle for an approximation. But the first time you encounter a face or place, you examine it thoroughly. "Ah, her eyes are green with flecks of blue; the window has a Z-shaped crack in it." To notice the colour components of an object, Monet had to stop seeing the object and focus on the colour. In the second half of his long career, Monet painted series of the same scene captured at different times of day. Some of these paintings are like pictorial clocks, especially the haystack series. You can tell the time by the light and shadow on the hay bundles. 136

The first independent Impressionist exhibition was in 1874. Among other works, Monet showed Impression: Sunrise, which is now owned by the Muse Marmottan Monet. The name inspired one critic to condemn all the paintings in the show for being "impressionistic" or incomplete. Although it was intended as an insult, most of the artists liked the label, so it stuck Vocabulary Building - 3 In each case choose the incorrect definition of the words taken from the text: transitory characteristic straddled innovations modified falsifies condemn permanent personality separated advances adjusted misrepresents commend fleeting feature spanned originality adopted misinterprets denounce ephemeral attribute overlapped traditions varied mistakes criticize

Text 4 Extended hours for major Edouard Manet show in London

Reuters January 23, 2013, 4:04 am

By Mike Collett-White LONDON (Reuters) - Bold claims have been made on behalf of 19th century French painter Edouard Manet - that he invented modern art, or was the man who bridged realism and impressionism. A major exhibition of his work, dubbed a "blockbuster" by the media for its scale and some euphoric early reviews, opens at London's Royal Academy on Saturday and seeks to underline Manet's importance which few recognised during his lifetime. The gallery will stay open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to cope with anticipated demand, and the Academy is organising "exclusive" Sunday evening viewings in March and April to allow visitors to see the show with smaller crowds.Those tickets, including a drink and media guide, will cost 30 pounds, double the normal rate, and the exhibition ends on April 14. For Lawrence Nichols, co-curator of the show from the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, where it was first displayed last year, seeking to define Manet's place in the history of European art risks missing the point. "Was he the father of modern art? Was he the first impressionist? My answer to you is he was a creative, talented, self-reliant individual," he told Reuters at a press 137

preview of the first major show in Britain to focus on Manet's portraiture. "Cezanne loved him, Picasso loved him. He knew who he was. I'm quite convinced that many artists will come to this show over the next 12 weeks and equally be responding to this man's talent," Nichols told Reuters. More than 50 paintings adorn the walls of the Academy's main gallery space, showcasing Manet's taste for black, white, grey and muted blues that are in stark contrast to the bright colours of the Impressionists who followed him. He portrayed Parisian society and the world in which it moved, blending genre painting with portraiture and succeeding more than most in capturing an era of transition. Less celebrated than successors like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, Manet nonetheless helped pave the way for their bold brushwork and sense of movement. PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Manet's nod to the past and eye for the future is clear to see in two small portraits of artist and friend Berthe Morisot. In the 1872 version, black is typically dominant, including his subject's eyes which were in fact green. The portrait is pretty, Morisot is composed and looks arrestingly at the viewer. In an 1874 picture of similar size, Morisot is depicted in mourning. Her eyes are sunken, her cheeks hollow, and the brushstrokes are fast and loose, yet the painting manages to capture her sorrow and fragility. Manet was a friend to the Impressionists, and painted Monet and his family at Argenteuil. He once said of the younger artist: "Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?" He described Monet as "the Raphael of water" and yet distanced himself from the Impressionists, refusing to exhibit with them and focusing instead on the Paris Salons which would reject his work as often as they accepted it. Manet defied the critical preferences of his day, declining to give viewers a clear narrative in pictures like "Music in the Tuileries Gardens" and "The Luncheon", in which 16-year-old Leon, who may or may not have been the artist's son, stares blankly past the viewer. Perhaps the greatest artistic scandal of his life, however, came with his infamous "Olympia" (1863), depicting the goddess Venus as a Parisian prostitute and exhibited at the Salon, though not loaned to the Royal Academy for the exhibition. "Insults are beating down on me like hail," he wrote to his friend, the poet Charles Baudelaire. "I've never been through anything like it." Another literary friend, Emile Zola, wrote an article defending Manet and his Olympia, support which led Manet to paint the novelist in a major portrait in 1868.Manet appeared to understand that his status as a titan of modern art would come only after his death. "Their vision will be better developed than ours," he said of future audiences. Edgar Degas, one of the pallbearers at his funeral in 1883 along with Zola and Monet, was moved to say: "He was greater than we thought." (Reporting by Mike Collett-White) Vocabulary Building - 4 In each case choose the incorrect definition of the words taken from the text: euphoric adorn transition fragility declining ecstatic enhance change strength refusing elated decorate evolution frailty rejecting disparaging strip conformity delicacy deciding 138

depicting status Synthesis chart

portraying insignificance

representing reputation

analysing standing

Text 1 The differences in Manets style and that of traditional artists

Text 2

Text 3

Text 4

Manets influence on the Impressionists

Contemporary views of the art critics on Manet

Current views of Manets work

Draw a flow chart of the chronology of Manets life below.

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Specific week supplementary materials

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A3 Week 1 Lesson 3 Thesis statements

1) The critics of neo-liberalism and globalisation have exposed many holes in neo-liberal doctrines. They have shown that embracing markets does not usually lead to any improvement in Third World countries. For two decades most of the peoples of Africa and Latin America have seen their conditions deteriorate, not improve. It will be argued here that the turning over of vast tracts of land to the production of a single crop ('monoculture') for multinationals does not raise revenues (since world prices are driven down as the same crops are produced in the same way in several other countries). The revenues that are earned are eaten up by interest payments on loans, and ecological degradation all too often follows.

2) Although supporters of economic globalisation claim that the environment is being protected by multi national corporations such as Shell, Exxon and Nestle, this paper will argue that the refusal of governments to regulate firms means that ecological devastation now threatens not only particular spots on the planet, but the global ecostructure as a whole. The essay will be divided into three sections; firstly the claims of multinational corporations will be critically examined, secondly the impact of weak government will be discussed, and thirdly the overall impact of neoliberal globalisation on the environment will be evaluated.

3) This essay will argue that the imposition of structural adjustment programmes by the IMF and the World Bank can play a major role in enabling African countries to modernise, combat poverty and play an effective role in the globalised economy.
4) I am going to put forward a critical view of what terrorism is by analysing the current war on Iraq. Terrorism should not be understood simply as acts perpetrated by armed groups which are outside of the state, but also as acts committed by states. Leaving aside for now the question of when states and groups outside the state may legitimately use violence in self-defence, I will argue that the war against terrorism is in fact a war for terrorism which is being used for the political ends of the US and its allies, to re-assert their right to commit acts of state terrorism, and to bolster their power and the ideology of capitalist globalisation.

5) Many within Chinas ruling elite argue that it is possible to maintain control of Chinas rapid economic growth by economic liberalisation combined with one-party political rule. This essay however will argue that the continued one economic tensions brought about by such rapid growth are likely to mean the end of the Chinese totalitarian system and the current regime is likely to be swept away as capitalist style market reforms lead to rising inequalities and poverty.
6) This essay will emphasise the importance of marketing mix for different types of organisations. Managers in different business industries should pay great attention to mixing these elements in order to achieve their market objectives and their aims. However the usage of marketing mix elements should be in different proportions depending on the type of organisation.

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Week 2 Lesson 3 Conclusions

1) To conclude, there are a number of important ways in which in The United States can regain respect in the international community and maintain its hegemonic position in world politics. They should attempt to reduce some of the money that the United States is spending on International policies, especially on the war in Iraq, and instead invest this capital in its domestic areas. This would at least attempt to mitigate the economic difficulties currently being experienced there, Moreover, they must bring the conflict to an end, establishing a democratic government in Iraq, and concentrating their efforts solely on domestic problems, attempt to save America from possible collapse that could marginalize the American position of leadership in the world. 2) To conclude, the IMF claims to encourage and support developing countries in their attempts at poverty reduction and to increase economic growth. The IMF's policy has been based on the imposition of trade liberalisation within the global free market. However, statistics presented in this essay appear to show that few developing countries actually experienced economic growth. The situations mentioned above, such as the cases in Rwanda, and in Indonesia, suggest that the policy of IMF is not beneficial to developing countries and in contrast seems to bring benefits solely to western developed states and their corporate banking industries. This is largely due to fundamental problems in four specific areas: the IMF's capitaloriented view; a misunderstanding of development processes; the unjust structural adjustment programs; and a lack of transparency and monitoring. Yet in the future, there is still a possibility that these poorer states can benefit from the IMF if it is controlled democratically so that it can reflect the voices from people who really suffer from problems. Listening to these people's voices, this change might lead to an accountable IMF development policy. At the same time, accountable governments are surely vital in developing countries for the future. 3) In conclusion, GM crops are both safe and environmentally friendly bringing also the potential to create GM foods which benefit humans nutritionally. The benefits are especially apparent in developing countries where these crops are able to produce much higher yields than conventional crops due to their selective resistance to herbicides and environmental factors such as drought and disease. Thus these crops will bring the potential for a new green revolution in developing countries which will alleviate the terrible problems of poverty, famine and malnutrition which currently blight much of the third world. Any opposition to the development of GM crops by environmental activists from the developed world is merely going to condemn the population of these poorer countries to further poverty and misery.

4) To conclude, there might have been some limited success through the IMF structural adjustment policies (SAPs), but it is unrecognisably small and the impact that had on majority of the population of these countries that inherited the IMF recipe have suffered enormously. The critics are right to say that SAPs are bad for the underdeveloped countries as the evidence is everywhere and none of the conditions actually helped to bring stability within the countries. Now that the IMF has accepted that some criticism of their policies is valid, they are supposedly on their way to develop their policies so that they are more appropriate for poorer countries. Nonetheless, developing countries may take longer to recover from the disastrous 142

consequences of previous IMF policies, than the IMF itself imagines. What matters now for poorer countries is that the IMF will provide (even though countries may wish to stay away from the IMF as much as possible) financial aid that works for individual needs of the countries. 5) Today, the business environment of the world is changing dramatically in every moment. But, however dramatic change is, customers are always the fundamental cornerstone of any company. The customers are not the sole function that the companies making profits from, but also the customers are a significant part of a companys value. The most valuable asset of the company has to be its customers (Lancaster & Reynolds. 2004). Therefore, that is why the customer service policy is considered so important today. Especially, in term of service, it is much more intangible. Service is something more like a feeling or chemistry between the companies and the customers; it is more unpredictable and uncontrollable. Sometime, even though it seems like the company has adopted the correct policies, there still no guarantee that the policies can succeed. However, whatever the policies are, every company should always remember, customers come first! 6) In conclusion, as the world becomes more global and the competition is increasing, it has become more essential to have an appropriate launching campaign that can be used in different markets. To achieve a successful launch it is important for companies to promote the product in an effective way. Moreover, each marketing communications tool has its own unique role to play. That means different types of marketing activities often works in different ways to affect the buying decision of the consumers. For example, a company uses advertising campaign to communicate with large audiences and primarily seeks to provide certain information, affect emotions and frame intentions when the next purchase opportunity arises. Sales promotions are designed to generate an immediate sale. Public relations is sought to develop favourable interest and goodwill on other media. Direct marketing has database support, permits the generation and feedback of messages with individual customers, and can be used to build and sustain a mutually rewarding relationship with each customer. However, only one communications tool may not cover the entire prospective customers. Thus, integrated marketing communications is an effective way, which combines the communications tools in order to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communications impact about the company and its products to the potential customers.

Week 2 Lesson 3 Task 6

Further practice with linking words
1.__________________ then, that deprivation of this kind, allied to a lack of adequate education, may be more significant factors than simple increases in the divorce rate. 2. __________________ also indicated that 98% of young people in contact with the probation service had left school at the minimum leaving age, 80% of them with no examination passes. 3. __________________ much of this family breakdown is itself caused by the stresses and strains placed on families attempting to survive on very low incomes, with little social support. 4.____________________ it is in fact better in some cases for a child to be brought up in a single-parent family than in a two-parent family suffering from the strains of poverty and unemployment. 5.__________________ it is the kind of parenting one receives, rather than

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the number of parents in the household that is significant. David Darton of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, quoted in The Daily Mail (2/1/97) supports this view, suggesting that Poor supervision by parents, family conflict and harsh and inconsistent discipline are also risk factors regardless of whether they occur in one-parent families or two. 6.___________________, it seems that responsible parenting is the important factor, rather than a traditional family. 7._____________, it is possible to see from a closer analysis of the available information that 8.____________a breakdown in the family may in some cases contribute to an increase in crime, this is not necessarily the decisive or most significant factor leading to higher crime. Economic factors may be more important. 9. __________________, it might be argued that a lack of effective education may be important in a number of ways. Greater access to education could help to provide parents with parenting skills in situations where they seem to be inadequate; it could be used to rehabilitate offenders and prevent them from reoffending. Finally it could provide young people with the skills they need to break out of the circle of poverty and deprivation which appears to be at the heart of the problem.

some people argue that this essay will

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It is quite possible that in other words

it seems likely

points out

indicating

the report mentioned above however

in conclusion

there is the view that evidence to suggest that one might such as further argue that despite in addition

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Week 3 Lesson 1 Task 6

TEXT 1 Women are gaining equality in professions that used to be male preserves, but not complete equality GLASS CEILINGS supposedly prevented women from flourishing in professional careers. But take three walks of life which used to be overwhelmingly male: medicine, the church and the law. All are going female. In doctoring, female medical students have outnumbered male ones since the early 1990s. In law, there are now slightly more women than men called to the bar (admitted to practise as trial lawyers). In the Church of England, where women have been eligible for ordination only since 1992, their numbers have been shooting up. By the last count, two years ago, they had nearly overhauled men; soon, if not already, there will be more women being ordained than men. But the glass ceiling is giving way to glass partitions: women are not spreading out evenly across these professions. Instead, they are concentrating in the less well-paid bits of them. In medicine, for example, women tend to go into general practice (all-purpose family medicine). In London, 70% of new GPs are women. As women take over, general practice is changing. Half of female GPs choose to work parttime, compared with one in ten of their male colleagues. New contracts have made it easier for them to work fewer hours. Thats why so many doctors are abandoning out-of-hours services. The traditional image of the GP who like Dr Charles Bovary in Flauberts novel was expected to ride off on his horse at any time of the day or night to go to the aid of a patient has changed. They also tend to be salaried employees, rather than partners making them more mobile.

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Family-friendly working conditions mean that female GPs abound, but higher-paid hospital medicine (such as surgery) remains largely the preserve of men. Pippa Gough, a fellow at the Kings Fund think-tank, recalls that when she was a nurse, the gynaecologist used to appear wearing a bow tie and a fresh rose in his lapel. Such old-fashioned props may have gone now, but there are still few women in areas where competition is fiercest and earnings highest. Surgeon, Helen Fernandes reckons that many women are put off surgery by the expectation that they have to be constantly available for work. You cant leave in the middle of an operation, even if you have a child to pick up from the nursery and will lose your place there if you are late. But such demanding specialisations are also the most lucrative ones. Barristers are following a similar pattern. As was once the case with doctors, climbing the career ladder means always being available for work and sticking with a case until it is settled. Though the Bar Council, the body that regulates and represents trials lawyers, has recently required all barristers chambers to formalise their policies on maternity leave, this has not altered those demands. This is particularly true of the best-paid work at the commercial bar, where cases can drag on for years and the weekend is often a misnomer. Women tend to focus on work at the criminal bar, where cases are shorter, less glamorous, less demanding and less well paid. Numbers are sketchy, but anecdotal evidence suggests that few female commercial barristers return to work after having babies. Some chambers are trying to find ways of making life easier for women and thus encouraging them to come back after childbirth. Babysitting cases of barrister on maternity leave is being tried out, but clients may baulk at having their cases looked after by an au pair. Christa Richmond of Middle Temple, a medieval outfit that serves as a barristers guild, worries that those mothers who do return to the commercial bar will revert to type, taking only short, low-profile cases. It is the same story in the Church of England (where women are still barred from becoming bishops). Women are well placed to meet the demand for more part-time clergy, created by declining churchgoing: a shrunken congregation may not merit a full-time priest. Women priests also show a preference for non-stipendiary (unpaid) work: the most recent figures show 314 women training to be non-stipendiary priests, compared with just 200 men. Whatever their pastoral value, such clergy are less likely to secure the top jobs in the Church, if they are ever allowed to apply for them. Feminists have long had two aims for the workplace. First, that women should be equally represented across the workforce and in all types of jobs. Second, that the they should be paid as much, or as little, as men doing the same job. They thought these aims were complementary: in fact, they may conflict. Source: Women and Work: Sex Changes, The Economist, 2 June 2005 www.economist.com/printedition

Text 2 Extract from: Society and Sex Roles Ernestine Friedl In any society, status goes to those who control the distribution of valued goods and services outside the family. Equality arises when both sexes work side by side in food production, as do the Washo, and the products are simply distributed among the workers. In such circumstances, no person or sex has greater access to valued items than do others. But when women make no contribution to the food supply, as in the case of the Eskimo, they are completely subordinate. When we attempt to apply these generalizations to contemporary society, we can predict that as long as women spend their discretionary income from jobs on domestic needs, they will gain little social recognition and power. To be an effective source of power, money must be exchanged in ways that require returns and create obligations. In other words, it must be invested. Jobs that do not give women control over valued resources will do little to advance their general status. Only as managers, executives, and professionals are women in a position to

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trade goods and services, to do others favours, and therefore to obligate others to them. Only as controllers of valued resources can women achieve prestige, power, and equality. Within the household, women who bring in income from jobs are able to function on a more nearly equal basis with their husbands. Women who contribute services to their husbands and children without pay, as do some middle-lesson Western housewives, are especially vulnerable to dominance. Like Eskimo women, as long as their services are limited to domestic distribution they have little power relative to their husbands and none with respect to the outside world. As for the limits imposed on women by their procreative functions in hunter-gatherer societies, childbearing and childcare is organized around work as much as work is organized around reproduction. Some foraging groups space their children three to four years apart and have an average of only four to six children, far fewer than women in many other cultures. Huntergatherers nurse their infants for extended periods, sometimes for as long as four years. By limiting reproduction, a woman who is gathering food has only one child to carry. Different societies can and do adjust the frequency of birth and the care of children to accommodate whatever productive activities women customarily engage in. In horticultural societies, where women work long hours in gardens that may be far from home, infants get food to supplement their mothers milk, older children take care of younger children, and pregnancies are widely spaced. Throughout the world, if a society requires a womans labor, it finds ways to care for her children. In the United States, as in some other industrial societies, the accelerated entry of women with pre-school children into the labour force has resulted in the development of a variety of childcare arrangements. Individual women have called on friends, relatives, and neighbours. Public and private childcare centres are growing. We should realize that the declining birth rate, the increasing acceptance of childless or single-child families, and a de-emphasis on motherhood are adaptations to a sexual division of labour reminiscent of the system of production found in hunter-gatherer societies. In many countries where women no longer devote most of their productive years to childbearing, they are beginning to demand a change in the social relationship of the sexes. As women gain access to positions that control the exchange of resources, male dominance may be archaic, and industrial societies may one day become as egalitarian as the Washo.

TEXT 3 Extract from: Society and Sex Roles Ernestine Friedl [] The social relationship between men and women has emerged as one of the principal disputes occupying the attention of scholars and the public in recent years. Although the discord is sharpest in the United States, the controversy has spread throughout the world. Numerous national and international conferences, including one in Mexico sponsored by the United Nations, have drawn together delegates from all walks of life to discuss such questions as the social political rights of each sex, and even the basic nature of males and females. Whatever their position, partisans often invoke examples from other cultures to support their ideas about the proper role of each sex. Because women are clearly subservient to men in many societies, like the Yanomamo, some experts conclude that the natural pattern is for men to dominate. But among the Semai no one has the right to command others, and in West Africa women are often chiefs. The place of women in these societies supports the argument of those who believe that sex roles are not fixed, that if there is a natural order, it allows for many different arrangements. The argument will never be settled as long as the opposing sides toss examples from worlds cultures at each other like intellectual stones. But the effect of biological differences on male and female behaviour can be clarified by looking at known examples of the earliest forms of human society and examining the relationship between the technology, social organisation, environment, and sex roles. The problem is to determine the conditions in which different degrees of male dominance are found, to try to discover the social and cultural arrangements that give rise to equality or inequality between the sexes, and to attempt to apply this

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knowledge to our understanding of the changes taking place in modern industrial society. As Western history and the anthropological record have told us, equality between the sexes is rare; in most known societies females are subordinate. Male dominance is so widespread that it is virtually a human universal; societies in which women are consistently dominant do not exist and have never existed. Evidence of a society in which women control all strategic resources like food and water, and in which womens activities are the most prestigious has never been found. The Iroquois of North America and the Lovedu of Africa came closest. Among the Iroquois, women raised food, controlled its distribution, and helped to choose male political leaders. Lovedu women ruled as queens, exchanged valuable cattle, led ceremonies, and controlled their own sex lives. But among both the Iroquois and the Lovedu, men owned the land and held other positions of power and prestige. Women were equal to men; they did not have ultimate authority over them. Neither culture was a true matriarchy. Patriarchies are prevalent, and they appear to be strongest in societies in which men control significant good that are exchanged with people outside the family. Regardless of who produces food, the person who gives it to others creates the obligations and alliances that are at the centre of all political relations. The greater the male monopoly on the distribution of scarce items, the stronger their control of women seems to be. This is most obvious in relatively simple hunter-gatherer societies. Hunter-gatherers [] subsist on wild plants, small land animals, and small river or sea creatures ; large land animals and sea mammals hunted with spears, bows and arrows, and blow guns; and fish caught with hooks and nets. The 300,000 hunter-gatherers alive in the world today include the Eskimos, the Australian aborigines, and the Pygmies of Central Africa. [] The source of male power among hunter-gatherers lies in their control of scarce, hard to acquire, but necessary nutrient animal protein. When men in a hunter-gatherer society return to camp with game, they divide the meat in some customary way. Among the Kung San of South Africa, certain parts of the animal are given to the owner of the arrow that killed the beast, to the first hunter to sight the game, to the one who threw the first spear, and to all men in the hunting party. After the meat has been divided, each hunter distributes his share to his blood relatives and his in-laws, who in turn share it with others. If an animal is large enough, every member of the band will receive some meat. Vegetable foods, in contrast, are not distributed beyond the immediate household. Women give food to their children, to their husbands, to other members of the household, and rarely, to the occasional visitor. No one outside the family regularly eats any of the wild fruits and vegetables that are gathered by the women. The meat distributed by the men is a public gift. Its source is widely known, and the donor expects a reciprocal gift when other men return from a successful hunt. He gains honour as a supplier of a scarce item and simultaneously obligates others to him. These obligations constitute a form of power or control over others, both men and women. The opinions of hunters play an important part in decisions to move the village; good hunters attract the most desirable women; people in other groups join camps with good hunters; and hunters, because they already participate in internal system of exchange []. The male monopoly on hunting unites men in a system of exchange and gives them power even among foragers who live in the tropics, where the food collected by women provides more than half the hunter-gatherer diet. If dominance arises from monopoly on big-game hunting, why has the male monopoly remained unchallenged? Some women are strong enough to participate in the hunt and their endurance is certainly equal to that of men. [} Women do not hunt I believe because of four interrelated factors; variability in the supply of game; the different skills required for hunting and gathering; the incompatibility between carrying burdens and hunting; and the small size of semi-nomadic foraging populations. Because the meat supply is unstable, foragers must make frequent expeditions to provide the bad with gathered food. Environmental factors such as seasonal variation in rainfall often affect the size of the wildlife population. Hunters cannot always find game, and are not always successful in killing their prey. The irregularity of the game supply leads hunter-gatherers in

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areas where scant foods are available to depend on these predictable foods a good part of the time. Someone must gather the fruits, nuts and roots and carry them back to camp to feed unsuccessful hunters, children and the elderly. Foraging falls to the women because hunting and gathering cannot be combined on the same expedition. Although gatherers sometimes notice signs of game as they work, the skills required to track game are not the same as those required to find edible roots or plants. Hunters scan the horizon and the land for traces of large game; gatherers keep their eyes to the ground in search of plants. It is also impossible to carry a load and hunt at the same time. Running with a heavy load is difficult, and the hunter would be unable to shoot an arrow or throw a spear accurately. Pregnancy and childcare would also present difficulties for a hunter. An unborn child affects a womans body balance, as does a child in arms. Until the age of two, many hunter-gatherer children are carried at all times, and until they are four they are carried some of the time. An observer might wonder why young women do not hunt until they become pregnant, or why mature women and med do not hunt and gather on alternate days []. There appear to be two reasons. First, young girls begin to bear children as soon as they are physically mature and strong enough to hunt, and second, hunter-gatherer bands are so small that there are unlikely to be enough women to serve as wet nurses. No hunter-gatherer group could afford to maintain a specialized female hunting force. Because game is not always available, because hunting and gathering are specialized skills, because women carrying heavy loads cannot hunt, and because women in hunter-gatherer societies are usually either pregnant or caring for young children, for most of the last two million years of human history men have hunted and women have gathered.

Text 4 Women Still Face Pay and Job Discrimination in the Global Workplace UN News Centre, March 5 2004 Women are entering the global labour force in record numbers but they still face higher unemployment rates and lower wages, and success in crashing through the glass ceiling to top managerial jobs remains slow, uneven and sometimes discouraging, the UN labour agency reported today. Women represent 60 per cent of the worlds 550 million working poor, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) prepared for International Womens Day, marked on 8 March. A separate updated analysis deals with trends in the efforts of women to break through the symbolic glass-ceiling barrier. These two reports provide a stark picture of the status of women in the world of work today, Juan Somavia, Director-General of the Geneva-based ILO, said. Women must have an equal chance of reaching the top of the jobs ladder. Mr Somavia warned that unless progress is made in taking women out of poverty by creating productive and decent employment, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving poverty by 2015 will remain out of reach in most parts of the world. Last year, some 1.1 billion of the worlds 2.8 billion workers, or 40 per cent, were women, representing an increase of nearly 200 million in the past 10 years, according to Global Employment Trends for Women 2004. But the explosive growth has not been accompanied by true economic empowerment for women, the report says. Nor has it led to equal pay for work of equal value or balanced benefits. In short, true equality in the world of work is still out of reach, the ILO states. While the gap in numbers has been closing in all regions since 1993, the rate has varied widely. In the transition economies and East Asia, the number of women working for pay per

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100 men is 91 and 83, respectively, but in other regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, only 40 women per 100 men are economically active. Of the worlds 550 million working poor, those unable to lift themselves and their families above the $1 per day threshold, 330 million, or 60 per cent, are women, the report says. Adding the 77.8 million women who are unemployed means that at least 400 million decent jobs would be needed to provide poor women with a way out of poverty. As for job quality, the overall employment situation for women has not evolved significantly since 2001, according to Breaking through the glass-ceiling: Women in management Update 2004, which shows that womens share of managerial positions in some 60 countries ranges between 20 and 40 per cent.

Week 6

Rules for Academic style

Here is a list of rues for academic style taken from the book:
Source: Bailey, S (2003) Academic Writing: A Practical Guide for Students p76-77 (Routledge London and New York)

You might like to buy this book.

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Week 7 Lesson 2
Task 1 Summary skills practice Read the interview below quickly to gauge the opinions of the two main speakers on the subject of work-life balance. Whose opinion do you most agree with? Text 2: BBC News Online Newsnight: Archive

Work life balance 8/4/02

Had a good day at the office, darling? Increasingly it seems the answer would be not. Job satisfaction has plummeted over the past decade, according to a report by the Work Foundation, once the Industrial Society. They found that the number of workers happy with their hours, pay and prospects has fallen since the early 1990s. Given that long hours don't seem to result in higher output, is it time to rethink our attitudes to work life balance? Martha Kearney discussed whether allowing more flexible hours would mean a more productive workforce with Caroline Savage who runs a business for people interested in flexible working and John Caudwell, the Chief Executive of Phones4U, one of the richest men in Britain who actually flew his own helicopter from Staffordshire to be with us. KEARNEY: John, in order to do so well, you were working at one stage 100 hours a week. What would you look for, in somebody in your own company? Would you look for that kinds of sacrifice from someone? CAUDWELL: It depends very much on the position we are recruiting for. If we are recruiting into a commercial environment, where we are expecting them to be commercial go-getters, managers of people or very senior management, yes, we expect everything they need to do to succeed. KEARNEY: Sacrifices like 100 hours a week?

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CAUDWELL: That's a bit extreme. I did it because I was extremely driven to succeed. I wouldn't expect my people to work 100 hours a week, but what I would expect them to do is to do whatever is necessary to succeed. During the interview process, we will make that absolutely clear. We only want the people who are real go-getters that are going to win, and we will pay them well for so doing. We will provide them with other benefits, like long-term share options in the business, and so on. So there is a good rewarding career for people who want to put that degree of effort in, but I wouldn't expect it of everybody. KEARNEY: Carol, you are appointing people for jobs. John's view clearly is you get someone who is prepared to make sacrifices, to put the hours in. If you are choosing between two people at interview, surely you are going to go for the one who will make the sacrifices? CAROL SAVAGE: You can't measure people by the hours they work but by their creativity and what they bring to the job, the diversity, energy and innovation. That doesn't necessarily need to be done across 100 hours a week. You will often find people working fulltime may be spending a lot of wasted time where they are not being productive. People who are working part-time or job sharing have extra energy to bring to the company and they are that much more motivated to perform. CAUDWELL: I agree on half the point, which is that people often work long hours to cover up the fact they are not actually doing the right intensity or quality of work during the hours they are there. KEARNEY: What if someone says, "I want to work part-time but I will be full of creativity and give you a great deal, but won't put in all of those hours," how would you regard that? CAUDWELL: that's unlikely to really excite me, because we are looking for people to go to the extra mile to the absolute extreme. If I can turn the question on its head, and say that if I had someone working for me for 10 years that wanted to alter the quality of their work-life balance, was doing a fantastic job and I knew they could give me what I needed in three days instead of five, I would consider that, and have done so in the past. KEARNEY: But by and large, you are looking for someone prepared to put in the hours? By and large, I want absolute winners. You can be quality, but you can't be an absolute winner if you say, "I only want to do 30 hours a week." Carol, it's part of your job to pitch to people like John. Go ahead. SAVAGE: You are missing out a huge proportion of the population when you are trying to recruit people. You might want the go-getters who work 100 hours a week, but the people who will make the business work and go forward, you are completely narrowing who you recruit from. For instance, when we try and help teachers reverse the recruitment shortage in schools, if they turn round and say, "We don't want 152

anyone part-time," they carry on the job shortage. If you can put together people who job share... CAUDWELL: I accept the point about teachers. I am talking about commercial people in a very aggressive environment that's changing daily and weekly. People who have to live the job to make sure that they are responding to those changes. Those sort of people couldn't possibly take two or three days a week off. I do partially agree with you. It's horses for courses. I can well see that teachers two or three days a week can work. SAVAGE: We have examples of people in banks, client service directors, job sharing or working part-time. We put into a very large blue-chip organisation a head of HR working four days a week. They wanted things, nothing to do with childcare or domestics, but wanted a study. KEARNEY: Couldn't these kinds of workers be more productive and your attitude is from a bygone era, an industrial age? CAUDWELL: It could. We are looking for young winners. You may have seen my High Fliers program I launched a year ago. We are looking for young winners, 22-23 years old initially, who want to get to the very top of management. If you talk to the most successful businessmen in Britain, ask how many of them manage to get to the top by working two or three days a week. None of them. You have to work very hard to succeed. KEARNEY: Anyone who applies for a job has been well warned!

Adapted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/programmes/newsnight/archive/1923981.stm Task 2 You are going to summarise the main points of Caroline Savage. Summary skills are an important part of academic writing; since you cannot write down everything you read about you need to pick out the main points and then paraphrase them (see reference box). Read the summary of John Caudwells position. Highlight the areas in the original interview that have been mentioned in the summary. Cross out any information that is repeated in the interview. Caudwell is the Chief Executive of Phones4U and one of the richest men in Britain. At one stage he was working 100 hours a week so he is used to making sacrifices. He argues that when recruiting into a commercial environment, especially for management or senior management positions, he would expect a candidate to be a commercial go-getter and be ready to also make sacrifices in order to succeed. Caudwell concedes that his 100 hours a week were quite extreme, accepting that he was extremely driven to succeed. While the same would not necessarily be expected of his employees, he would want them to work hard. He believes this type of work is rewarding, well paid and provides benefits, such as long-term share options in the business. 153

Caudwell would be prepared to consider reducing the hours of a trusted, hardworking employee if he thought they would be able to get their job done. However, he maintains that in a cutthroat commercial environment that is constantly changing, working three days a week would not be enough to keep up with all the changes. In his opinion, those who want to get to the very top of management and to become the most successful businessmen in Britain would not be able to achieve this by working two or three days a week. For him, the reality is that people who want to succeed need to work very hard. Reference Box Summaries Good summary skills are important for the following reasons: so that you can focus your attention on the main points of a text and separate them from the supporting details. in order to integrate source material in essays to help you understand the most important information Summaries should be: Concise only include the important information (not too many examples and no repetition of the same information) Accurate what you write should be a true representation of the authors main points Objective You should not add your own opinions in a summary In your own words - You should NOT simply copy out chunks from the original text but paraphrase

Now do the same with Caroline Savages comments and write a summary. Make notes first. You will compare your summary with another students next lesson. Task 3 Highlight the main parts of the interview where Carol Savage gives her opinion. Now swap your summary with another student and see if they have included this information Carol Savage runs a business for people interested in flexible working. She argues that people cannot be measured by the hours they work but by the creativity, diversity, energy and innovation they bring to the job. This does not necessarily need to be done across 100 hours a week. According to her, often people working full-time may be spending a lot of wasted time where they are not being productive. She maintains that people who are working part-time or job sharing have extra energy to bring to the company and are more motivated to perform. Savage argues that by ignoring people not prepared to work a full week, a huge proportion of the population is being missed out when recruiting. This is especially true of areas, such as teaching, where there are job shortages and two job sharers would fill the gap. Other examples given are people in banks and client service directors who successfully job share or work part-time. A very large blue-chip organisation also had a head of HR working four days a week.

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Finding your dream job The Myers-Briggs inventory is a well-known questionnaire designed to identify various personality types. It is often used to help people decide on a career to pursue. You can find it at the following site: www.humanmetrics.com When you have completed the questionnaire, calculate your score, identify your personality type and read the description about this type. Then access the website: www.LearningChoices.com/career-personality.htm to see which careers you might find most enjoyable. (Taken from: (2005) New Directions Gardner CUP)

Week 8 Lesson 2
Writing and Editing Activity

Task 1
(Working alone) Your have just thirty minutes to write a mini-essay on one of the following topics: Are beauty contests harmful to women? Should governments negotiate with terrorists? To what extent do you believe that enormous inequalities in pay that exist in the 21st century are justified? Your writing should be academic in style and have an introduction, main body and conclusion. Remember that it is a quick writing activity and therefore you should not spend too long thinking about it. Write the first thing that comes to mind.

Task 2
Spend five minutes editing and proofreading your essay.

Task 3
Give your essay to another student and ask them to read it and see if the ideas that you write about are clear and grammatically structured. If not, why?

Task 4
From what your peer has advised you, correct/improve your writing.

Task 5
Give your essay to another student and ask them to correct it and/or tell you how you could further improve it.

Task 6
Once again follow the other students advice and make the necessary changes to your work.

Task 7
Read your work out to the lesson. If necessary, hand your work in to your teacher for final corrections. 155

ELAS A2-A4 Timed Writing Descriptors 1. Essay Features

These include: - TASK FULFILMENT: the extent to which the question has been understood and answered. It takes into account how complete the answer is. - ORGANISATION OF IDEAS: how clear the thesis is, how organised the essay is and how logically the argument is developed. It also considers whether or not a logical conclusion is reached. - USE OF SOURCES: how well the student has used the material from the readings to support the students point of view. It also considers how the source material has been used to develop arguments and counter-arguments of the essay through paraphrase and quotation.

70%+

60-69%

50-59%

40-49%

20-39%

0-19%

A competent, complete and intellectually sophisticated answer to the question. The purpose of the task has been fully understood. Very clear thesis and counter-argument examined. Critical, structured and well supported. No plagiarism. Variety of relevant sources used highly effectively as support. Arguments well extended and clear position shown throughout. A generally competent and complete answer to the question though some parts may be more fully answered than others. The purpose of the task has been understood. Generally, clear thesis and logical support. Some counter-arguments given. Some critical analysis. Most sources are relevant. Mostly no plagiarism. Sources appropriately presented and effectively used. The task has been mostly understood, but may not be fully addressed or may lack detail. There is a sense of an underlying coherence. Attempts have been made to use counter-arguments and arguments but they are not always critically evaluated. Some support may be inappropriate. Possible over-dependence on one source. The question has been addressed simplistically and the purpose of the task may not have been fully understood. The essay may be short and/or unfinished. Some support given but substantial irrelevance may be included. Any counter-arguments tend not be effectively evaluated. There may be some over-dependence on sources and some plagiarism. Ideas are evident but not coherent and at times, the argument may be difficult to follow. Not an adequate answer to the question. The purpose of the task may not have been understood. The essay may be incomplete and/or be too superficial. Argument can be followed but may lack coherence in parts. No counter-arguments or logical development of ideas. Lacks evaluation and evidence of critical thought. May contain significant evidence of plagiarism. There is little direct response to the question. A very inadequate answer. The purpose of the task may have been completely misunderstood and the response minimal or largely irrelevant. No thesis and no development of an argument. Largely plagiarised.

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2. LINGUISTIC FEATURES
These include grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, signposting and style. Also, consider the degree of inaccuracy from the point of view of readability do the errors seriously impede communication? Is the vocabulary completely misleading and inappropriate?

70%+

60-69%

50-59%

40-49%

20-39%

0-19%

Few errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation. Resourceful and controlled use of a wide range of vocabulary and structures, only the most complex causing difficulty. Appropriate use of discourse markers, cohesive devices, register and style. Good awareness of academic style shown. Very good use of language to present arguments and quotations. There may be some errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation but these rarely affect the clarity of the message. Range of vocabulary and structures facilitate expression with occasional limitation. Use of discourse markers, cohesive devices, register and style usually appropriate. Wider range of vocabulary shown than the 50-59% range but with some inappropriacy compared with the 70%+ range. Some overuse or misuse of expressions. There may be frequent errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation but these do not impede comprehension of the message. There may be a restricted range of vocabulary and structures. Complex structures may frequently be inaccurate. Use of discourse markers, cohesive devices, register and style may sometimes be inappropriate. Language may be repetitive or limited. There may be frequent errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation, some of which impede comprehension of the message. There is a very limited range of vocabulary and structures. Complex structures are rarely attempted and are usually inaccurate. Use of discourse markers and cohesive devices are frequently inappropriate or lacking. There may be frequent misapplication of register and/or style. Parts of the essay are very difficult to understand. Basic errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation occur frequently, sometimes impeding comprehension of the message. Very limited range of vocabulary and structures. Use of discourse markers and cohesive devices is usually inappropriate or lacking. There is frequent misapplication of register and style Most of the essay is very difficult/impossible to understand. Basic errors in syntax, lexis, spelling and punctuation together with a narrow range of vocabulary and structures obscure communication. Use of discourse markers, cohesive devices, register and style is inappropriate or lacking.

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